California woman with 100,000 bees in walls of home swarmed

sfgate.com

Firefighters spray down a home in Murrieta, Calif., that was infested with bees on June 28, 2023. Murrieta Fire Department/Handout

A California woman whose home reportedly had up to 100,000 bees living in the walls needed hospitalization after being stung hundreds of times.

Linda Briggs, 74, told KTLA she was outside her Murrieta, Calif., home on June 28 when a swarm of bees flew toward her. She used a towel to try to swat them away, but they covered her hands and face. A neighbor called 911 and attempted to use a hose to spray the bees. Firefighters from the Murrieta Fire Department arrived and used water and foam to mitigate the bee risk, but both Briggs and a firefighter needed transport to be treated at a local hospital.

Briggs told KTLA over 700 stingers were found in her at the hospital. According to the Mayo Clinic, even a dozen bee stings can create an “accumulation of venom [that] may induce a toxic reaction and make you feel quite sick.”

“People said it was really lucky,” Briggs told the TV station. “That some people have died from this and that I had a lot of toxin in me. If I were to get stung again, that could be fatal.”

“I was very lucky that I didn’t die,” she added.

A GoFundMe was created to help Briggs remove the hive permanently from her home.

“Happily, Linda will make a full recovery,” the fundraiser says. “Unfortunately, the bees that attacked Linda actually reside within the walls of her own house. What started as an annoyance more than 6 years ago has now become a community health threat that can no longer be ignored.”