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On April 23rd, four Dutch citizens were returning from a hike on the Tanque Verde Ridge trail in the Rincon Mountain District when they were attacked by Africanized bees. They dropped their hats and sunglasses and ran down the trail to their car at the trailhead. One woman received five stings and the other members of the group received one or two stings each. Rangers and a local EMS unit responded, but none of the four needed treatment. When one of the rangers went up the trail to retrieve the hats and sunglasses, a large number of bees came after him. Rangers wearing protective suits then closed the trail and located the colony. The nest was approximately ten feet off the trail in a rocky outcropping that visitors use as a scenic overlook. In accordance with the park's bee management plan, resource management and visitor protection staff determined that the colony needed to be exterminated. The trail remained closed throughout the week while rangers and a professional exterminator made repeated trips to the site to eradicate approximately 50,000 bees. The bees were extremely aggressive, but the bee suits were effective in protecting the rangers. The trail was reopened on April 29th. |