Local man stung over 70 times by swarm of bees
Zam was not dressed in his special suit that day; instead he was wearing shorts and sandals
64-year-old Zam Paulik had a nasty and painful experience recently, as he was attacked by a swarm of potentially deadly bees. Zam is well-known in our small town for catching bees and even snakes.
Catching snakes has been an unusual hobby of his since he was six years old. He started removing bee hives in the 1980s and mainly concentrates on bees these days. Mr Paulik wears a special suit and uses a ‘smoke machine’ when removing large and dangerous bee hives or swarms from people’s homes.
The smoke machine is not harmful to the bees and is used only to calm them down so they don’t attack.
Mr Paulik recently went to a friend’s house to move bees from one box to another. The friend is also a keeper of bee hives. Zam was not dressed in his special suit that day; instead he was wearing shorts and sandals.
Also read: Good News Alert: Petrol price might drop by almost R1 next month
When he opened the box, the swarm of bees flew out and attacked him, mainly stinging him on the legs. He had to shake them off and used his smoke machine to calm them down. He sustained over 70 stings. He told the Ladysmith Gazette that he went back home that day in excruciating pain.
However, he didn’t feel the need to seek medical attention and carried on with his chores at home. Two days later, as he was walking out of church, he suddenly began feeling nauseous and passed out. He was admitted to hospital for a day and a half, where he was treated for the bee stings.
“This was the first time I have been admitted to hospital for bee stings. However, this incident will not stop me from doing what I do, and that is to remove bees and snakes. That’s my passion,” says Mr Paulik.
Click to receive news links via WhatsApp. Or for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there!
