Grimes County man killed after being stung by bees
BEDIAS, Texas (KBTX) – A 75-year-old Bedias man was killed on his property in Grimes County following a bee attack.
Off Highway 90 between Bedias and Singleton, lifelong Bedias resident, Bryce Smith, was killed after bees attacked him.
Smith was on his bulldozer clearing trees when the attack happened, the hive was unknowingly in one of the trees when it was disturbed.
The bees stung him over 60 times on his face and neck.
An employee with him brought Smith inside a camp house and called his family and 9-1-1. Unfortunately, by the time EMS arrived on the scene Smith had passed.
Grimes County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Judge Chris Acord said Bryce will be missed by the entire community.
“The Bedias community lost a very very good individual yesterday, a very good man. He was a wonderful husband, great dad, great grandfather to his kids. He was very well respected,” said Acord.
Acord says bee hives in Grimes County are common and the community should be aware.
“The severity of what happened and how this could happen to anybody and we don’t think about these things,” said Acord.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research Honeybee Scientist, Juliana Rangel, says the that attacked smith are likely Africanized honey bees.
“Africanized bees are a little bit more prone to feeling threatened by any external stimuli than more often than not, European bees,” said Rangel.
Rangel advises that if you find a bee hive on your property, call an expert to remove it.
“You better call a professional beekeeper that knows how to deal with live bee removals so we always recommend trying that route first, which is to call a professional beekeeper that can remove the bees live,” said Rangel.
If you are being attacked, the Texas Apiary Inspection Service recommends alerting others, covering your head and face without blocking your vision, and finding a safe space.
Experts say to remain calm, call 911, and carry an Epi-pen if you’re allergic to bee stings.
