On Sunday morning, an unexpected bee attack in Aurillac, a town in central-southern France, left several people injured, with three in critical condition. Local authorities acted quickly as the situation was alarming, although, not the reason for the attack has not been investigated yet.
At least 24 people were stung by hundreds of aggressive bees due to which officials claimed that there was a risk of mass mortality. Three of those injured needed an urgent medical intervention, and they were taken to the hospital in a critical condition. Fortunately, such people have found their niche afterwards.
One of the victims was a 78-year-old lady who reportedly was stung 25 times. Her status worsened rapidly, causing a cardio-respiratory arrest, which was restored after urgent medical care.
What Caused the Bee Attack in Aurillac?
A number of theories have come up to describe the immediate aggression of the bees. Local media suggested that it could be due to Asian hornets, which are known to harm local colonies of bees. Pierre Mathonier, the mayor of Aurillac, proposed the alternative that the hornets might have been attacking a hive of bees nearby and that the bees might have then fought back.
But this explanation aroused the doubts of Christian Carrier, the president of the region beekeepers ‘pers union. According to him, bees tend to shun being out of their colonies in a situation where an Asian hornet is around. Carrier suggested that the colony was getting too crowded, which might have been related to the attack. When a hive of bees becomes too numerous, the bees may become restless and will be more fierce, especially when provoked by a beekeeper. Here is the link to our article on Bees’ Pesticide Threat
What was the Response of the Government to the Incident?
Police and firefighters were on the spot and cordoned off the place to curb further injury. A bee professional in the locality was invited to control the situation. With a technique called smoking out the bees, the beekeeper pacified the insect, and officials got back control.
The scene that witnesses testified to was chaotic, with people panicking to try and ward off the attacking bees frantically. One local woman, André, who watched the incident herself, elaborated on how, despite it being quite evident that people were being attacked, the origin of the threat at first was not entirely evident.
Is it possible that the Environmental factors played a role?
Chief of staff to the mayor, Vincent Fournier, informed that although the activities of the Asian hornets could have also been a contributing factor to the changes in the behavior of the bees, some other things could be working within the environment. He said the food availability to the bees in July might have become stressed due to the latest rounds of heatwaves and early flowering of plants. Also, some problems with the queen bee would have caused the bizarre ferocity, and in such a case, the bees would act crazy. Here is the link to our article on Syrian Attack Survivors
Final Thoughts: Why did the bees attack at Aurillac?
The bee attack in Aurillac remains a mystery, with several potential causes under consideration. Be it the presence of the Asian hornets or the overpopulated beehives or because these hives and colonies are under stress from environmental factors, the event has created a moment of thought on how fragile the balance of the local ecosystem is. The scientists and the beekeepers, along with the authorities continuing to study the behaviors of the bees so that they can gain more knowledge on how to prevent such unusual events in the future.
