March 06--Thirteen agriculture workers, one of whom had to be transported to the hospital, were stung numerous times Monday afternoon by a swarm of bees while working in a cauliflower field near Somerton.
Robby Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Somerton/Cocopah Fire Department, said firefighters were dispatched to the area of County 16th Street and Avenue D at about 2:14 p.m. for a report of field workers being attacked by a swarm of bees.
"There were so many bees flying around out in that field, you couldn't stand out there without being hit by one," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said firefighters found four of the workers still in the field -- two trying to walk out to the main road and two others hiding under a flatbed trailer.
"The two who were walking out brushed off the bees they could see and covered themselves with this mesh-type material. They were walking very slowly so they would not aggravate the bees."
Rodriguez said firefighters drove one of their vehicles out into the field to get the two workers who had hidden under the flatbed trailer.
"They had bees on their hats and clothing," Rodriguez said.
Nine other workers were in a agriculture bus, which followed an SCFD ambulance to an area where there were no bees. Once a suitable location was found, paramedics set up a triage area and began treating the workers for their stings.
Rodriguez said the worker who was transported by SCFD ambulance to Yuma Regional Medical Center suffered from an allergic reaction. The rest of the workers were transported by their bus to a private medical facility to be checked out.
Rodriguez also said the area was closed off and a beekeeper was called in to collect the bees. He added that it is not known what type of bees they were and that no firefighters were stung in the incident.
James Gilbert can be reached at [email protected] or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.
Copyright 2012 - The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.
