SAN DIEGO, Calif. (CBS 8) - An East County man is still shaken up after being attacked by a swarm of killer bees. Sixty-eight-year-old Pablo Gomez accidentally disturbed the aggressive insects while clearing brush. Now he's afraid to go back outside.
Tecate resident Pablo Gomez still has nightmares from last Friday afternoon's killer bee attack that hospitalized him with more than 75 stings.
He accidentally provoked the colony while he was clearing brush with a weed whacker around a stack of wooden drawers where the Africanized bees had settled.
After being swarmed, Gomez tried to run away but an aggressive pack chased him. He yelled to his wife to call 911, then picked up a nearby garden hose to spray the insects away.
At one point Gomez tried to seek shelter inside a van, but the bees were locked in on him and wouldn't slow down.
When firefighters finally arrived with protection gear, which includes a head covering, net and gloves, the father of four was still trying to flee from hundreds of bees. His hands and face were quickly swelling.
"Many people get what's called anaphylactic shock, their throat starts to close up and they have an allergic reaction. You may not think you're allergic to bees, but don't take that chance. Get seen, call 911 and get to the hospital," Cal Fire Battalion Chief Nick Schuler said.
Gomez says he's just too afraid to return to the hive, which sits in the middle of his Tecate Road ranch. He's confident that until the colony is removed, he will get attacked by the boisterous bees if he gets too close to them.
He says he can't afford to remove the colony because he's on a fixed income. He is hoping someone in the community will step forward to help.
