BROWNSVILLE, TX (RNN) - Two men have died in separate bee attacks while mowing their lawns this month.
The culprits were Africanized bees, which are a more aggressive type of bees, KRGV said.
"They were stung hundreds of times on their bodies, and as a result of the multiple stings, then they had a reaction to it and lost their lives. It was very tragic," Cameron County Justice of the Peace Jonathan Garcia said.
A beekeeper said that the loud noise of the lawn mowers may have irritated the bees, causing them to attack.
"Obviously the sound, the sound is very loud. It's got a lot of vibration, so if you go up to a bee hive with a lot of noise and you don't have any smoke or bee keeping equipment to calm them down, they are going to go into full defense," beekeeper Jimmy Lawrence said.
Bees usually won't chase a person further than 50 to 100 yards - so acting fast is critical in the event of an attack.
"You run and cover your mouth and nose as much as you can while you're running, because the bees are attracted to the carbon dioxide that we release," Lawrence said.
Copyright 2017 KRGV via CNN and Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
