Swarm of bees leave four dogs, parrot dead in KZN

The simple act of mowing a lawn sent two swarms of bees on a rampage in Chaka’s Rock, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday morning, killing four pet dogs and a parrot.

Beekeeper Ron Pitts, a 69-year-old retiree who took up the hobby of beekeeping in 2016, said he was alerted that something might be wrong when a bee flew into his workshop.

Pitts went to check on the hives in his garden in Dolphin Crescent, only to find two of his swarms in a frenzy. He ran to get dressed in his bee keeping protective gear.

By this time, neighbours were shouting and trying to get their pets indoors. The bees were attacking dogs and a parrot along Dolphin Crescent and Ipahla Road.

“I ran out of the gate toward my neighbours, trying to help them get their dogs into their homes,” said Ron, who said he and his tenant had attempted to smoke the bees to sedate them.

Pitts and neighbours rushed the stung animals to local veterinary clinics, but some died on the way.

Neighbour Tash van Gavin and her mother Yolanda van Zyl lost two dogs, a Dachshund and Bull-terrier, as well as their pet parrot.

A third dog, a Bull Mastiff cross, is still in the care of a vet.

It is believed that the bees were antagonised by the mowing of a nearby lawn, which according to Salt Rock bee expert, Trevor Thompson would send any bee into a frenzied state.

“Mowing lawns and trimming hedges are one of the greatest reasons for bees going on a rampage. Anything which creates the smell of vegetation being trimmed makes bees feel threatened,” he said.

According to Thompson, who has 15 years of bee experience, any established swarm of bees will defend their territory and could range in size from 30,000 to 60,000 bees.

He warned that once one bee has stung a person or animal, that charge (stinger) gives off a pheromone which attracts other bees.

He urged beekeepers to ensure that their hives were sedated before trimming nearby vegetation.

“Other than safeguard what you can, nothing much can be done until the bees calm down,” he said.

While Yolanda van Zyl and Tash van Gavin said they recognise that the bees were simply acting instinctively, they believe Pitts should have never been allowed to erect hives in a residential neighbourhood.

“How could he not realise the risk this would pose to his neighbours?” asked Van Zyl, who said her daughter was highly allergic to bees and could have died if she had been stung.

Other neighbours sympathised with Pitts, who immediately euthanised two of his three hives. The third hive has since been donated to a local beekeeper who intends to send the bees to a macadamia farm.

Neighbour Marieta Dekker said her alert grandson, Kaeanau, had brought their Jack Russel, Jessica, indoors.

“Ron ran over to us to make sure our animals were fine and found our tenant’s dog stung,” said Dekker, adding that Pitts did what he could to help get the injured animals the care they needed.

“It could have been worse. There could have been children, but there weren’t,” said Dekker, saying it had been an unfortunate tragedy.

KwaDukuza municipal bylaws stipulate that hives or swarms of bees may not be kept within the municipal area in such a manner as to be a source of nuisance to neighbours or the neighbourhood.

Pitts said that the incident has served as a wake-up call to him and he had abandoned his hobby.

“I would have never have kept bees if I knew something like this could happen.”

This article first appeared on North Coast Courier and was republished with permission.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.