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Incident Record

Wallis couple hospitalized after Africanized bee attack while mowing

Vern Roberts was mowing at his Wallis home when Africanized bees attacked. He reportedly received about 500 to 600 stings and spent three days in intensive care. His wife Mary was also stung while trying to help, with reports citing more than 40 stings.

Record ID: TX-AUSTIN-2018-09XX
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This record is part of a first-pass incident research dataset. Records, categories, and source notes may be updated as additional information is reviewed and verified.
Date18-Sep
LocationWallis, TX, Austin, TX, United States
CountryUnited States
State / ProvinceTX
Record TypeNews Report
Trigger / ActivityMowing / Yard Work
SeverityHospitalized
Bee ID StatusReported Africanized
Aggression ClassificationSevere defensive attack
Source Language

Incident Summary

Vern Roberts was mowing at his Wallis home when Africanized bees attacked. He reportedly received about 500 to 600 stings and spent three days in intensive care. His wife Mary was also stung while trying to help, with reports citing more than 40 stings.

Public-Safety Lesson

Mowing can disturb hidden colonies and quickly turn a routine yard chore into a severe mass-stinging incident. Rescuers and EMS may also be exposed if bees remain active around the home.

Impact Flags

Human FatalityNo
Human HospitalizedYes
Animal FatalityNo
Responder InvolvedEMS / Paramedics

Source Information

Source: KHOU / ABC13 / Scallywag summary citing KHOU

Source Strength: B