Bee swarm in Los Angeles suburb injures 3, sending them to the hospital

A swarm of bees in Encino, California, Monday led to the injury and hospitalization of two men, one of them a Los Angeles Police Department volunteer.

A woman also was stung and drove herself to the hospital for treatment.

The swarm was reported and responded to by the Los Angeles Fire Department at 3:47 p.m. local time. Residents were told to close all doors and windows, and two nearby streets were closed to contain the insects.

As one man was attacked, a Los Angeles Police Department volunteer responded to the call to try and help, only to be stung multiple times himself.

Video shows the unnamed officer getting up and stumbling, face-planting into the asphalt and concrete repeatedly as he was stung trying to escape the bees. The combination of stings and fall-related injuries sent him to the hospital.

Caught on Camera: LAPD Volunteer officer attacked by swarm of bees on the 17100 block of Adlon Rd in Encino this afternoon, in total 2 people were transported to local hospitals as thousands of bees swarmed the neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/2aJGAd6biv</ a>

— Traffic News Los Angeles | TNLA (@TrafficNewsLA) May 16, 2023

A bee removal professional was eventually brought in to remove the incensed insects; the hive had hundreds, and possibly thousands, of bees.

“They’re just attacking everybody and they’re actively stinging as I myself have been stung today. This is such an active hive, they’re so aggressive,” Brooks Putman with All Valley Honey & Bee told KTLA.

Animal control workers sprayed pesticide, releasing an odor that deters the bees from returning.

As of Monday night, the volunteer was in stable condition, according to the LAPD. The conditions of the other man and the woman who drove herself to the hospital were not disclosed by authorities.

The species of bee was also not specified. Some bees are more aggressive than others, including the Africanized honeybee, or killer bee, whose swarms can lead to a fatal volume of stings.