Bee swarm attacked family and their dogs in Glendale

GLENDALE, Ariz. (KSAZ) - People and pets around the Valley are starting to notice a lot of bees swarming around.

In Glendale Wednesday morning, an aggressive swarm attacked a mother and her baby, along with the family's pet dog, and the dog's litter of six puppies. The toddler and her mother, were both stung once, and one puppy remains missing.

Another puppy reportedly suffered the most serious injuries, having been stung dozens of times.

Glendale firefighters were able to rescue five puppies from a backyard, as they were being stung by the aggressive. A woman and her young children were home at the time. She opened her backyard door when she heard the mother dog crying.

"I thought she wanted to come inside, but I noticed there were a lot of bees," said Esther Julian. "They were coming inside the house. Me and her, we ran."

Fire officials say the dogs were stung dozens of times each. Julian and her toddler were stung as well, but did not need medical treatment. After calming and cooling the puppies down, firefighters loaded them into the family's truck.

Five puppies and the mother dog were taken to an emergency vet. One puppy was in critical condition. and another one is missing.

"They couldn't find one of the puppies," said Julian.Bee experts say the family and their dogs were likely attacked by a swarm that set up a hive in their backyard.

"With Africanized honey bees, they swarm relatively fast," said David Bies with AZ Pollinators. "You look at them or come in contact with their area, most likely they will swarm on you. Bees will go dormant throughout the winter. They will have honey stocked they saved up throughout summer and they wont come out the minute you go out and rake leaves or do yard work. You're stirring up bees that have been there for months, and are now pretty aggressive."

If you happen to encounter a swarm of bees, or a hive, fire officials say do not bother the bees. If the bees start to attack, you should run to a safe area and call for help.