News 2 Houston
 Police
Fight Off Bees With Fire Extinguishers
ALVIN, Texas, - A 67-year-old woman was attacked by a swarm
of bees at Froberg Vegetable and Fruit Farm Sunday afternoon.
The victim,
Joann Froberg, was transported to Southeast Memorial Hospital
with more than 500 bee stings.
Doctors said
it's a miracle that she survived because the amount of venom in
her body was the equivalent of being bitten by two rattlesnakes.
Froberg made
a desperate call to 911 as the bees began to attack her.
"They
have been biting me a long time," Froberg told the 911 operator.
"Are
you allergic?" the operator asked.
"I don't
know," Froberg answered. "I have never been stung this
many times. They are all over me."
Alvin police
officers who were called to the scene had to use fire extinguishers
to fight off the bees.
Froberg's
son, Alfred Froberg, said that her family is proud of the way
she handled the situation.
"Everybody
is proud for the way she took care of herself," Alfred Froberg
said. "Everybody loves her."
Alfred Froberg
said that the bees live on the farm and are used to pollinate
fruits and vegetables.
He said that
the bees are still riled up and that he is amazed at his mother's
calm attitude and ability to get help.
"I don't
understand," Alfred Froberg said. "If it had been me,
I would have been swatting. She remained calm and everything."
Froberg is
in guarded condition in the intensive care unit.
Police aren't
sure why the bees became agitated, but they aren't ruling out
the possibility that Africanized honey bees infilitrated the hive.
Taking
The Sting Out Of Bee Stings
Remove Stinger
You must properly
remove a honey bee's stinger and venom sac from your skin promptly.
The best way to remove the stinger and sac is to use the back
of your thumbnail or a credit card or a dull knife blade to scrape
along your skin underneath the barb and flick it out, without
squeezing the venom sac.
Ice Sore
Spot
Put an ice
cube on the sting site to keep down the swelling and pain. Use
ice on and off for about the first 10 minutes -- put it on for
a few minutes, leave it off a few minutes, and so on, one doctor
suggested.
Apply Baking-Soda
Paste
Make a paste
from baking soda and water and place it on the sting.
Comfort
Sting With Compress
To ease soreness
and itching, apply a compress made from a washcloth soaked in
cool water. Or soak a mini-compress in Burow's Solution (available
in drugstores as Domeboro Astringent Solution powder packets)
and hold it on the itchy site.
Soothe
The Itch
More itch
relief can come from dabbing calamine lotion on the sting or from
soaking in a soothing bath prepared with a powdered oatmeal, such
as Aveeno.
Use Antihistamine
Some people
develop a severe local allergic reaction to a sting, which is
very uncomfortable but not life-threatening, as long as it is
contained to the sting site. If you experience a lot of itching,
and the sting is swelling rapidly, try taking one dose of an over-the-counter
antihistamine, such as Benadryl (the active ingredient is diphenhydramine).
Elevate
The Area
If a sting
becomes so swollen that it actually aches, elevate the stung arm,
leg or other body part so that gravity helps fluid leave the area,
reducing swelling and the soreness that comes with it.
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