A 59-year-old man has died after being attacked by a swarm of bees in Kentucky.
The victim, identified locally as Michael Alford, was moving a bag of potting soil off the porch of his home when he was stung on Monday.
A group of bees inside the bag became defensive and stung him, according to the Harlan County Coroner’s Office.
Alford passed out within 30 minutes of being bitten, according to his family.
He was pronounced dead at a local hospital despite his daughter Marlana attempting CPR.
In a Facebook post, the coroner’s office said that Alford had underlying health conditions which may have been worsened by the bee stings.
“Our heart felt prayers go out to the entire family and friends,” they said in a press release.
Alford worked as a gas station manager in Harlan county and enjoyed playing piano and collecting knives, according to his obituary. His funeral was held on Saturday.
He is survived by his wife Chi-Chi Margalene “Margo” Hughes Alford, three children and 11 grandchildren.
A total of 788 people have died from hornet, wasp and bee stings across the US between 2011 and 2021, according to the US Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with 84 per cent of these deaths occurring in men.
The average human being can tolerate 10 stings per pound of body weight, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
“This means that although 500 stings can kill a child, the average adult could withstand more than 1,100 stings,” the USDA says.
In 2016, a 23-year-old hiker died after being stung more than 1,000 times in a park in Arizona.
Earlier this year, a swarm of bees stung a woman more than 75 times in Arizona during a family photo shoot.
The USDA urges members of the public to stay away when they see a colony of bees to prevent an attack.
