In the Burgenlandkreis, a woman has been found dead on a dirt road. Apparently she was attacked by bees. The police are investigating.
Hohenmölsen – A hunting tenant found a dead woman on a dirt road south of Hohenmölsen (Saxony-Anhalt) on Saturday morning (May 13). This is reported by the German Press Agency (dpa). According to the police, the woman, who was still unknown at the time, was between 60 and 70 years old and may have been attacked and stung by numerous bees while picking flowers.
Since the emergency services were immediately attacked by the insects, the recovery of the body was "extremely difficult", according to dpa. Only a beekeeper was able to calm the bees down again. Investigations into the exact cause of death are ongoing. "An emergency doctor was on the scene. The presumed cause of death was initially given as bee venom as a result of multiple punctures," said a police spokesman.
Woman dies while picking flowers – apparently she was attacked by bees. (Symbolic image) © Sebastian Gollnow/ dpa
After the death of a senior citizen in Germany: cause of death not yet clarified – bee stings are suspected
Bees are considered peaceful insects and usually only sting when they feel threatened or want to defend their swarm of bees. As the knowledge portal bienen-gesundheit.com writes, a bee sting is "only" very painful in most cases and can be dangerous under certain conditions.
Whether the now well-known woman suffered from an allergy to bee venom or had a heart attack would have to be clarified by an autopsy. According to the police, it is not yet clear whether there will be one. What is certain, however, is that the owner of the bees has fulfilled the requirements of the authorities for his hives, as the Burgenlandkreis MDR Saxony-Anhalt announced on Monday (15 May). "He has presented the necessary health certificate for his bees and the locations for the bees," said a spokeswoman.
Deadly bee attack on senior citizen in Germany: bee expert gives possible explanation
Bee expert Professor Dr. Robert Paxton from Saxony-Anhalt tries to explain why the insects behaved so aggressively: According to this, "the animals could, for example, have been startled and disturbed earlier in the day. A loss of the queen bee could also have disturbed the colony. The smell of hairspray, perfume or aftershave can also put bees in a state of alarm. They confuse substances from these products with the bee's own alarm pheromone and then switch to defense mode," says Paxton.
According to Frank Steyer, chairman of the Magdeburg Beekeepers' Association, the cause of the attack could be due to the location of the hives.
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Deadly bee attack on senior citizen in the middle of Germany: "Around 250 stings kill"
According to Meyer, who was able to view the pictures from the scene, the beehives were set up in a rapeseed field directly on a dirt road. "Clumsily on the side separated from the rapeseed field. In order to get to the rapeseed, the bees had to cross the path," Steyer told MDR Saxony-Anhalt .
According to Steyer, bees attack humans when they come close to the entry holes of the hives. This could possibly have happened to the 66-year-old. "Around 250 stings are fatal in healthy people," explains the chairman of the Magdeburg Beekeepers' Association. "In allergy sufferers, on the other hand, even a sting can lead to death."
Climate change is causing weather extremes in Munich and the region – a beekeeper explains what it does to the bees. Recently, a spectacular natural phenomenon occurred in Ebern: around 30,000 bees flew through the city centre and triggered a police operation. (Vivian Werg)
