Gardener stung to death by 800,000 killer bees

killer bees sting gardener to death in arizona

A gardener has died after being attacked by a swarm of killer bees in southern Arizona, America.

The man died in hospital and another gardener was critically injured after both were stung by the swarm of Africanized bees.

AP reports that the incident happened on Wednesday morning as the landscapers were working on a home.

A beehive was found inside the home's attic and it was later exterminated by a beekeeper after pars of the roof were torn off.

The Huffington Post reports that there were about 800,000 bees in the swarm.

"Upon arrival, our units found five patients on scene that had been stung by bees," Douglas Fire Chief Mario Novoa told the Douglas Dispatch. "Two patients were critical and were taken by ambulance to Cochise Regional Hospital. Two patients declined transport and one patient drove herself to the hospital."

"A witness said his face and neck were covered with bees," Capt. Ray Luzania of the Douglas Fire Department told Tucson.com.

Jesus Corella of Southwest Exterminating, who was called in after the attack, said: "They were already dropping down at me even before I started approaching it, that was before I started spraying, they were dive-bombing me and that's a sign to back off, back way off."

The homeowner, a 90-year-old man, was not injured but was evacuated.

Last year, a swarm of bees killed a dog in North Hollywood, California .

The attack happened when a tree on a residential street was being cut down. The beehive was inside the tree and the bees became agitated, attacking the five-year-old female pit bull named Babe.