Arizona golf course worker killed by a swarm of bees

A golf course employee died after being attacked by a swarm of bees in Arizona.

The incident happened in late June, near hole 8 at Pusch Ridge Course, part of El Conquistador Golf in Oro Valley, about 10 miles north of Tucson.

The agronomy team worker, Rick Messina, was mowing in the area when he was stung, El Conquistador Golf said in a statement to USA Today.

Someone called authorities about the incident at 7:17 a.m. on June 24, said Darren Wright, a spokesperson for the Oro Valley Police Department. Messina was taken to a local hospital and died three days later on June 27.

The day of the incident, beekeepers inspected all 45 golf holes on the property. The beekeepers found no hives nor bee activity and gave the property the all-clear.

“It appears Rick was attacked by a traveling swarm of bees,” El Conquistador Golf said in its statement to USA Today.

Employee was ‘dedicated’ and ‘cherished’ at golf course

Messina was 57 years old and worked for El Conquistador Golf’s agronomy team since July 2022, the company told USA Today.

The company also sent a statement to golf club members about his death.

Calling the event a “tragic workplace accident,” the company said it is saddened over his death and he died from “complications from the bee stings.”

“Rick was a dedicated and cherished member of our team, known for his exceptional work ethic, positive attitude, and unwavering commitment to his duties,” the statement read. “El Conquistador Golf and Indigo Sports has deployed support resources to both Rick’s family and our team to help all navigate through this difficult time.”

Bees making headlines in Arizona

According to local experts, summer is “peak season for bee swarms,” El Conquistador Golf wrote.

A bee colony forms on the net high above home plate that caused a two-hour delay of the game between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on April 30, 2024.

Bees in Arizona also made headlines in early May when they caused a delay at an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game.

There was a delay during the team’s April 30th game against the Los Angeles Dodgers because bees had begun to gather at the 30-foot netting behind home plate. There were hundreds of them.

Concerned that a foul ball could hit the netting and disturb the bees, managers hired an exterminator to take the bees away.

“It would have happened,” said Mike Rock, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ vice president of ballpark operations. “In…