Man flown to Austin hospital after bee attack in Fayette County

PLUM, Texas (KXAN) — A bee attack in Fayette County led to an injured man being flown to Austin for treatment and first responders getting stung trying to help him.

Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek said deputies along with Fayette County EMS responded to a call Tuesday afternoon about a man lying on the ground "being attacked by bees," according to a news release. This happened on Plum Main Street in the community of Plum, which is about an hour southeast of Austin near La Grange. The sheriff said one of his deputies first used a fire extinguisher to stop the bees from swarming the man on the ground.

Korenek said that the same deputy along with EMS personnel and a neighbor "suffered several stings and breathing the dry powder discharge from the extinguisher during the emergency."

An ambulance eventually took the man in critical condition to the Smithville airport, where he got flown to Dell Seton in Austin for more treatment. It's unclear how he's doing now.

Several first responders went to a local hospital for treatment after responding to the bee attack, but they're all now released.

The bee swarm in Plum came a day after another attack happened at a park in south Austin on Memorial Day. Austin-Travis County EMS reported that its paramedics treated seven people there. A Travis County spokesperson told KXAN that Travis County Parks hired a professional to remove and relocate the hive from the park to another location.

Experts recognize the period between late March and June as the peak swarming season in Texas. This happens when honeybees’ hives are overcrowded, leading to the need for a new colony, according to PCI Pest Control. If anyone wonders what to do if caught in a swarm attack, experts shared the importance of trying to outrun the bees.