LAS VEGAS – A 53-year-old man remained hospitalized Monday, two days after being stung "a couple thousand times" in what authorities are calling the worst bee attack around Las Vegas in 20 years.
Clark County Fire Department spokesman Scott Allison says the man accidentally disturbed a nest of Africanized honey bees, also known as "killer bees," when he overturned a boulder while operating a backhoe Saturday.
The man was listed in stable condition in the intensive care unit at St. Rose Dominican Hospital-Siena campus.
Hospital spokeswoman Kim Haley says the man was stung a couple thousand times, and it's uncertain how long he would have to remain hospitalized.
His name hasn't been released.
Allison says the man was stung on his face, arms, neck and back, and firefighters sprayed bees off him with a hose.
While not native to the U.S., killer bees are well established in southern Nevada.
In 2000, a 77-year-old Las Vegas woman was stung about 500 times and survived. In 2003, a horse in Pahrump was killed after being attacked.
Allison says he has been with the department for 20 years and can't recall such a bad attack around Las Vegas.
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