Peoria couple recounts near-fatal bee attack during hike
PEORIA, Ariz. - Arizona's bee season is getting active, and we've seen the impact in the past few days.
On April 22, some streets were closed because of an aggressive swarm in Mesa.
Now, we're hearing from a Valley couple who was hospitalized from a separate attack.
What they're saying:
A group of Africanized honeybees, also known as killer bees, swarmed the couple at Paloma Community Park in Peoria.
Between the two of them, they were stung almost a hundred times. To make matters worse, the husband, Jeremy Pierce, is allergic to bees, and is lucky to be alive.
"It was almost like those bees knew exactly where to go. Now they've stung us," his wife Karen said.
Jeremy added, "Once you get stung once, it sends a chemical trial, and then they just follow you. Now you’re the target."
They came without a warning.
They went straight for Jeremy. Karen and their friend were right alongside him.
"They were just everywhere. I’m swatting them and swatting them," Jeremy said.
‘Run Jeremy, run’
"They’re all buzzing in my hair, so I have to rip the ponytail," Karen said.
There was nothing to do but take off running. Jeremy headed straight up to the trailhead a mile away.
"Run Jeremy, run," Jeremy remembered hearing.
The bees took off after him.
"It just looked like he was in a cloud of black smoke. It was just surrounding him," Karen said.
For the last 12 years, the couple has hiked and biked at Paloma Community Park. Jeremy never went without his EpiPen.
"To see him be stung over and over, I just thought, I’m gonna walk, I’m gonna walk up, I’m going to see him just passed out, and they’re not gonna get to him in time and that was my thought, just losing him," Karen said, with tears in her eyes.
Jeremy and Karen Pierce
Dig deeper:
Jeremy's face and neck were completely swollen and quickly turning a purplish red.
"I got out my EpiPen and gave myself a shot," he said.
He was in anaphylactic shock. He was rushed straight to the hospital.
Karen was also in distress.
"Then my throat started to feel scratchy, something was not right. Come to find out, I had bee stings all in my neck. They were like flicking them out with credit cards, these stingers," Karen said.
After hours of medication and fluids, the Pierces were released from the hospital.
A warning sign now sits on the same trailhead they were attacked at, but Karen and Jeremy are not letting this stop them from doing what they love. They've already gone on another hike.
"I’m already looking for snakes in the summertime, so now in the springtime, I’ll be looking for bees," Jeremy said.
Karen and Jeremy said the outcome could have been a lot different if they didn't have the EpiPen.
Big picture view:
Valley experts say bee swarms are very active right now as the weather warms up during a lack of rain.
What you can do:
Click here to learn more about the bees and how to stay safe.