Golf course worker in Arizona dies after attack by swarm of bees

A golf course worker in southern Arizona died last month after being attacked by a swarm of bees while on the job, his employer said.

Rick Messina, 57, was a member of the agronomy team at El Conquistador Golf & Tennis in Oro Valley, north of Tucson, where he helped maintain the property. He was stung on the morning of June 24 near the eighth hole of Pusch Ridge Golf Course, one of three courses operated by El Conquistador. It was “a tragic workplace accident,” according to a statement from club managers.

Messina had been mowing the rough around the Pusch Ridge course when the swarm attacked. Emergency responders took him to a local hospital, where he died three days later, on June 27, from complications from the bee stings, the statement said. Messina had been employed as a groundskeeper at El Conquistador since July 2022.

The club’s management team said that on the afternoon of the attack, professional beekeepers were called to check the area immediately around the eighth hole at Pusch Ridge for hives or other remnants of the swarm, but none were found. Citing local experts, their statement said that summer is “peak season for bee swarms” and advised El Conquistador members to be vigilant in the coming months. Since the beekeepers found no evidence of the bees that attacked Messina, the swarm was likely a migratory swarm, the team said.

“Rick was a dedicated and valued member of our team, known for his exceptional work ethic, positive attitude and unwavering dedication to his duties,” the statement said. “His sudden passing is a profound loss to our work family and our community. He will be sadly missed by all of us.”

Darryl Janisse, general manager of El Conquistador Golf, sent an email to club members informing them of the attack and Messina’s death.

“It is with a heavy heart that I am emailing our members to inform them of a tragic incident that occurred at Pusch Ridge involving one of our co-workers and a swarm of bees,” Janisse wrote in the email, adding that all 45 holes on the club’s courses have been inspected for hives and bee activity.

Janisse said the club would implement safety protocols following the attack, including putting up signs to remind people to “always be aware of wildlife and poisonous animals” and training staff on bee protection.

El Conquistador Golf and Indigo Sports, a golf course management company, said they would provide their resources to support Messina’s family and employees at El Conquistador, but further details were not disclosed.

Arizona is home to a number of different species of bees, and experts say most of them do not typically pose a serious threat to humans unless provoked. However, researchers at the University of Arizona and the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture based in Tucson, also warn that bee behavior can be unpredictable and potentially aggressive. Africanized honey bees, for example, found in Arizona, are known as “killer bees” because they are extremely persistent when attacked and their venoms can cause severe, sometimes fatal, damage to the human body.

People are urged to avoid areas where there are signs of bee colonies and moving swarms. The research center in Tuscon found that bees can become unexpectedly irritated and then mount a defensive response. Some possible stimuli for bees include loud machinery and any textured, dark or leather-made clothing.