Officials have determined the cause of death of an elderly beekeeper who was caught in a fire earlier this year in July.
The man was determined to have died from bee stings before being affected by the blaze.
The White Settlement Fire Department responded to reports of a fire near Vaquero Street and Silver Creek Road on July 5. Fire personnel were subduing the flames when they discovered the body of 79-year-old Graham Billy Davis near the fire, which was also near beehives in the area, according to WFAA.
Officials theorized at the time that Davis could have dropped a bee smoker that he was using before his death and that this could have caused a fire to break out in the area. Investigators could not, however, confirm at the time whether the man’s death was associated with the bees or due to the blaze.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner has revealed that the man’s cause of death was a result of “anaphylaxis due to bee envenomation.”
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that honey bee venom can cause a wide range of reactions, including allergic reactions. Such reactions to the venom can be mild or severe, including anaphylaxis, and can manifest upon contact or 30 minutes later and last for hours.
The USDA also says that a person can experience a severe reaction even if the sting is not life-threatening in and of itself.
“Anaphylactic reactions include swelling of the mouth or throat, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, and shock. These types of reactions typically occur within minutes or even seconds of being stung and are very rare. It is estimated that less than 1% of the population will have an anaphylactic reaction.”
According to the USDA, the average person can withstand 10 bee stings per pound of body weight. In other words, this would mean that the average person can withstand over 1,100 stings before the situation is life-threatening while an adolescent can withstand over 500.
Firefighters on the scene sustained bee stings while subduing the fire but were not seriously injured.
This is not the only recent case of bees presenting a local threat this year, however. The Grandview Fire Department responded to a call regarding a bee attack at a house on April 12, witnessing what seemed to be millions of aggressive bees swarming the home and injuring two occupants, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
