Man in Coma After 20,000 Bees Stung Him, Swallowing Thirty

Robyn White

By Robyn White

Nature Reporter

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A 20-year-old Ohio man is in a coma after he was stung 20,000 times by African killer bees, and swallowed 30.

Austin Bellamy was trimming branches from a lemon tree in Ripley, Ohio when he accidentally cut into a nest, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family.

African killer bees, also known as Africanized honey bees, only usually sting people when they feel threatened. Just one sting can cause pain and itching, which usually improves on its own. A person can survive 10 bee stings per pound of their body weight, according to the USDA. The most stings an adult should be able to endure is around 1,000.

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Bellamy's grandmother, Phyllis Edwards, and his uncle, Dustin Edwards, were standing underneath the tree at the time, and witnessed the incident, WXIX reported.

Man In Coma 20,000 Bee Stings

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Phyllis Edwards told the news station that she tried to get up the ladder to help her grandson, but he was "surrounded in bees."

Bellamy was rushed to the hospital after a firefighter named Craig helped him down from the tree. He is now at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he remains in a medically induced coma as of August 30.

The 20-year-old's mother, Shawna Carter, told WXIX that it looked like her son had a "black blanket on his head down to his neck."

When Carter heard the news about her son, she said she passed out. "It was just too much for me to take," she explained.

The bees that Bellamy swallowed have been removed but he remains unconscious. Doctors believe he will eventually make a full recovery.

Carter told WXIX that it was the firefighter who saved her son's life.

"When I think of Craig, Craig is a lifesaver," she said. "He's Austin's angel. He saved Austin's life."

Bee venom contains multiple proteins, enzymes, and peptides. Once injected into the body, it targets skin cells and the immune system. Those who are allergic from bee stings can die just from one sting.

African killer bee venom is no more dangerous than a regular honey bee. But if a person is stung more than a dozen times or so, they will start feeling the effects. A person stung too many times may become nauseous. Other symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting.

The GoFundMe page set up by Carter is trying to raise money for her son's treatment. As of publication, the page has reached $2,628 of a $10,000 goal.

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