Posted on 08/09/2010 9:07:11 AM PDT by nickcarraway
For the first time, a tree trimmer stung about 500 times by Africanized killer bees on Saturday described the attack.
He was working on a tree in the front yard of a home in Safety Harbor when he cut through a massive hive.
"This giant swarm just came directly at me. It's like they knew who did it," Ralph St. Peter explained.
Photo Gallery: Man stung 500 times by Africanized bees
St. Peter's hands and face are still swollen. From head to toe, he's covered in bee stings.
"Fireants. It would be the same as fireants," St. Peter said, also comparing his attack to someone sticking a needle in him repeatedly all over his body.
Hours after being released from the hospital, St. Peter's wife, Jenna, still had to pull out stingers.
"Kind of reminds me of a porcupine. You're just pulling pins out of a pin cushion," she said.
St. Peter, a veteran tree trimmer of 30 years, says he knew there were honey bees in the tree, but not the Africanized type, let alone the estimated 50,000 that swarmed him.
"Fear, nothing but fear," he said when asked what he was thinking during the attack, "because I knew what they were. They were definitely killer bees. Regular bees don't do that."
St. Peter says he should have called an exterminator to remove the bees before starting the work.
He credits his co-workers, who helped him get down from the tree, with saving his life.
"I would have died. They weren't stopping," St. Peter said.
On his first day back at work on Monday, he says he's going right for the same tree.
"The bees are obviously gone, so I'll finish the job tomorrow," he said.
Was he a racist tree trimmer.
I mean after all, he must have deserved it.
Glenn Beck was right! The bees know.
On the bright side, every bee that stung him is dead.
“killer bees”? This term is not common to me. How long has it been in use, outside of B movies?
I never cease to be amused by poor editorial skills in regards to titles -
The way it is constructed, it sounds as if the tree trimmer was attacked by africanized bees that were released from the hospital Sunday... too funny (that’s what happens when you have a mother who is a college English professor!)
Heh...I have one hive of Carolinian bees, and one hive of Italians, and they tore me up yesterday. Bright and sunny, and should have been out collecting nector/pollen. 30 minutes after a half-dozen stings, went inside, and a thunderstorm came up. Smart animals.....must have detected the storm.
Why did they release the bees from the hospital?
(Someone skipped Headline Writing at Journalism school.)
Leonard Nimoy told me back in the 70’s on “In Search Of” they were “Killer Bees”.
They were just defending they ‘hood.
The Bees were released from a hospital???
I usually do not do "grammar police" posts, but this is just a prime example of how badly today's writers - write. What is worse is that most of them don't even have a clue about what is wrong with this headline. Also, what is/where does the word "Africanized" appear in our dictionaries today? I hate the "---ized" words that are being made up. I remember, years ago, when "palletized" started to be used. Then there is the new expression that irks me...replacing the word "disappeared" with "went missing." I just shudder.
I know...off the subject...my bad. I guess the thought of this guy being stung and suffering drove me to madness.
The term has been in use since it was discovered the African bees had made it to the American continent. Some reporter probably decided it was a catchy name.
that was my thoughts exactly.....lol...
The killer bees were in the hospital for bee anger management. Upon release, they attacked a treetrimmer.
What country?
Right!
My favorite unintentionally funny headline of the year.
LOL
Belushi with a Tommy gun!
remember John Belushi dressed up as a bee, on SNL, and talking like a Sandinista?
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