Mesa woman stung about 40 times by swarm of bees

PHOENIX — A Mesa woman was stung about 40 times after a swarm of bees attacked her in one of two incidents in the East Valley over the weekend.

“I could feel them crawling in my head, and it was scary,” Angelica Aguirre said. “I could hear the buzzing in my ears.”

She was stung Saturday evening outside the Superstition Ranch Farmers Market in Mesa.

Another bee attack occurred near a store entrance at Chandler Fashion Center that same day. Authorities say at least seven people, including a 6-month-old child, needed medical treatment.

Aguirre said she and her husband had just pulled up to the farmers market when they started getting attacked.

“As soon as I walked to the front of the car, I could feel more bees hitting me, and I could feel them stinging,” she said.

Her husband told her to run to try to get away from the bees. She took off running but felt she started to lose her vision.

“At that point, I’m yelling ‘where’s the baby’ because I couldn’t see anything,” she said. “I just heard him telling me to run.”

The couple left their 2-year-old son inside the car. When they returned to check on him, he was fine and had no bee stings.

Aguirre said she was left with bee stings on her hands, arms, chest, back and head. Her husband also was stung multiple times.

“I was really scared,” she said. “I thought I was going to pass out or something worse was going to happen to me. I thought I was having an allergic reaction.”

Aguirre said she and her husband are still recovering from the bee stings.

Mesa Fire and Medical personnel treated at least two people outside the farmers market as crews worked to eliminate the bee hive. None of the bee sting victims needed to go to a hospital.

The Mesa Fire Department recommends people stay indoors and close all windows and doors if they see bees in the area. More tips are posted on the department’s website.

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