Swarm of bees attack, kill beekeeper
By Associated Press, 8/27/2001 01:06
FRANKLIN, Conn. (AP) A beekeeper has died following an attack by a swarm of
bees that repeatedly stung him.

Ernest Jennings, 54, died Sunday after he was covered by the bees.

Deputy Fire Chief Clem Watson said a firefighter who responded had ''never
seen anything like it in his life.''

Firefighters and an ambulance team approached Jennings only after using a
garden hose to spray and disperse the insects, Watson said.

It was not immediately known whether Jennings, whose interest in bees was a
hobby, wore protective gear.

George M. Purtill, a beekeeper in Glastonbury, said because honeybees die
after stinging their victim, they do not likely sting without provocation.

''They have one shot and they're not going to waste it,'' he said.

Jennings was a registered beekeeper with three hives, said Ira Kettle, state
bee inspector.

''I can't understand it, what went wrong,'' he said.