A family from Bonteheuwel were left in shock after a massive swarm of honey bees that have been living in the cavity of a wall at their house descended on their two dogs.
According to one of the homeowner’s daughters, Yumna Alexander, who observed the incident from her car, the bees went ” berserk” before attacking their Husky, Jimmy and their two-year-old Pitbull named Bonzo, who was fatally stung multiple times over most of his body.
Jimmy was stung repeatedly in the face causing it to swell so badly that his eyes were barely visible. Yumna firmly believes that his thick coat saved his life, however, Bonzo died as a result of the attack.
The homeowner, Moegamat Alexander who has lived in peace with the bees for almost 50 years thinks that the bees became agitated after a rowdy domestic dispute that left him upset and in tears.
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When the bees attacked the dogs, all he could do initially was watch helplessly from the safety of the house. After several minutes, he ran outside and cut the chains of the dogs, but by that stage, Bonzo had already collapsed, and Jimmy was showing signs of a massive allergic reaction.
According to local beekeeper Thabo, from Parow Valley, this was the largest hive he had ever seen in his 12 years of working with bees. It took Thabo several hours to safely catch and remove all the bees, including the Queen. This extraction left Alexander with a gaping three-metre wide hole in the wall.
Approximately three months ago, a large swarm of Honey Bees also attacked and killed 63 endangered African Penguins from the Boulders Beach colony.
“Please NEVER harm or kill bees. They fulfil a vital role in the circle of life,” said AWS SA spokesperson Allan Perrins.
Meanwhile, the swelling around Jimmy’s face has started to subside and he appears to be responding well to treatment.
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Picture: Facebook/AWS SA
