A woman has died in hospital after sustaining multiple stings from a swarm of bees in north Co Mayo.
The incident happened early on Monday afternoon while the woman, aged in her 70s, was tending to beehives near her home in Ballycastle.
Emergency services were contacted and the woman was collected by the Coast Guard’s Rescue 118 helicopter and taken to Sligo University Hospital.
A local man, who did not wish to be identified, said neighbours rushed to assist the woman as soon as they became aware of the situation. Some of the locals were also stung by the swarm while attempting to help.
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“Neighbours raised the alarm and the victim was on the ground when I arrived,” the man said. “Two local people were treated by ambulance personnel at the scene for stings.”
The man said there was a “shock, horror and disbelief” in the community as a result of what happened to the woman.
“I understand the woman who died showed an improvement while in the rescue helicopter but died later,” he said.
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Loftus described the incident as “a tragedy” for the woman, her husband and family “and the entire north Mayo community”.
“We are all shocked and taken aback about what is considered to be a relatively rare event – the death of a person from bee stings,” he said.
“In the public interest, the full circumstances of what happened will have to be fully investigated..
It is understood the woman and her husband are well-known beekeepers in the area and have won many awards for their honey over the years.
The coroner for Sligo, in whose jurisdiction the death occurred, has been notified and an inquest will be held at a later date.
The Department of Transport said the Coast Guard at Malin Head, Co Donegal, received an alert about the bee swarm attack on Monday afternoon.
“The Sligo-based Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 118, was tasked to the scene. One on-scene casualty was assisted and transferred by helicopter to Sligo University Hospital,” the department said.
“Killala Coast Guard Unit also assisted on site, where other casualties were treated.”
The Federation of Irish Beekeepers Association (FIBKA) declined to comment in the absence of greater detail surrounding the circumstances of the woman’s death.
Ireland has approximately 100 species of bees, including the honeybee, solitary bees and 21 species of bumblebee.
Irish native honeybee colonies typically swarm during May and June, with swarms generally being an uncommon sight past July. Swarms – a split in a bee colony – are prompted by fine weather and happen as a means of reproduction when bees are seeking a new suitable nesting place.
When a swarm does occur, the bees are usually docile.
Honeybees are unlikely to sting people and will only do so in defence of their hive. For most people, a honeybee sting is no worse than a nettle sting, but those who are allergic may need urgent medical help if stung.
