Unhappy Bees Swarm Workers

NEWTON TOWNSHIP An effort to move bee hives in Lackawanna County went awry Monday afternoon when the bees swarmed the crew trying to save them.

One worker had to be sent to the hospital.

Charles Jewell of Newton Township called PennDOT last week because a tree in his yard near Clarks Summit was at risk of falling into the state road.

It became more complicated than that because that tree is also home to about 50,000 bees.

The attempt to remove the bee hives didnt go as planned.

A contractors plan to remove some tree branches for PennDOT became more complicated when they discovered five active honey bee hives at Jewells house near Clarks Summit.

I knew that there were some there and I had told them that there were bees but I didnt know there were nearly that many, Jewell said.

It became even more complicated when a worker for Jaflo Tree Removal went up in a bucket truck to begin taking down the tree branches and eventually the hives.

He ended up losing his helmet and he hit the controls, so the bucket was going all over the place until he finally put his vest up over his head and was able to put the bucket down in the yard. But he got stung 40 or 50 times, Jewell said.

Jewell says the worker was in a lot of pain and was struggling to breathe. He was taken to the hospital but other workers also suffered stings, tearing off their helmets and vests trying to get away.

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Unhappy Bees Swarm Workers