California: Swarm of Bees Kills Worker At Date Farm

Worker dies after he's stung by swarm of bees in Thermal date orchard A man working at a date orchard died this week after being stung by a swarm of bees, his family and fire officials said. Gerardo Balbuena, 49, was working the fields at a date palm orchard in Thermal just after 9 a.m. Monday when he came across a beehive, said his daughter, Marilou Balbuena. He was stung by at least 30 bees, she said. After he was attacked, Balbuena went into cardiac arrest, said Tawny Cabral, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Fire Department. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Balbuena’s official cause of death has not been determined. The Thermal resident’s daughter said he was allergic to bee stings. Source