Attacking bees swarm man flying model airplanes in field, California firefighters say

A man flying remote-control model airplanes with friends in a Petaluma field collapsed after being attacked by a swarm of bees, California authorities told news outlets.

Friends performed CPR on the man until rescuers arrived, KGO reported.

Bees from a commercial hive swarmed the man Wednesday, June 28, after he went to pick up a downed airplane, North Bay Fire officials told KNTV.

The man “staggered” away from the bee swarm but could not escape, friends told KRON.

“They picked on him and when he came back here the bees followed him, so they attacked all of us,” Victor Barbieri, another model airplane hobbyist, told KPIX.

Kelly Bradley of the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District said rescuers arrived to find bees still swarming around the man’s head, neck and chest, KGO reported.

Barbieri told KPIX the man was reportedly “doing fine” at a hospital.

Petaluma is a city of 58,000 people about 40 miles north of San Francisco.

This story was originally published June 29, 2023 at 6:47 AM with the headline "Attacking bees swarm man flying model airplanes in field, California firefighters say."