adminThe Herald, August 30, 1990
THE Fire Brigade had an unusual call yesterday to rescue a motorist from a swarm of bees after his car had knocked down and killed a man along the Harare-Mutoko road.
Eyewitnesses said after hitting the man, the vehicle left the road, hit a tree with a beehive before overturning.
People who rushed to the scene to help the besieged driver had to flee when the bees became indiscriminate in their attack.
Firemen had to spray the overturned vehicle with the trapped motorist inside to get rid of the bees that had swarmed into it.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Bees generally keep to themselves and only attack when disturbed to defend their colony, but will also attack if they are seriously disturbed outside the nest.
The best defence when being chased by bees is to run away as fast as you can. While it is encouraged to cover your face it is advisable to do so in such a way that would enable you to see where you are going.
It is not advisable to play dead, because bees are attracted to the alarm pheromone left by other bees’ stingers and may continue to sting you any way.
While bees in a swarm pose a threat to humans they are often viewed as a prophetic occurrence. In the book of Judges, Samson encounters a young lion while travelling to Timnah and the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him, and he tears the lion apart with his bare hands. Later when he was returning from his journey he sees bees in the carcass of a lion he killed, symbolising a triumph over evil.
In some African cultures visitation by a swarm of bees is presumed to be a message from the ancestors who would like the family to do something for them.
Online Reporter