A man and his son were attacked by Africanized bees, on the 29th of December, 2024, while traveling on motorcycle along Hunt Oil Stretch at Santa Fe, Region 9, along the Lethem-Linden Trail. According to proprietor of Greaves Transportation and Tours, Mr. Franklin Greaves, a member of his team saw the persons being attacked by the bees while traveling the route. Given the difficulty of the situation and the risk of being attacked themselves, Mr. Greaves said that the driver called for backup and used strategic actions to rescue the victims.
According to Mr. Greaves, the victims were rolling in pain after being attacked and bitten by the bees. The police transported a professional in protective gear who lit a fire around the victims to chase away the bees. The young boy was rushed alive to the Lethem Regional Hospital, but the father appeared to have been dead already.
Update: (2nd of January, 2025) The young boy has survived after being treated at the Lethem Regional Hospital, but his father had died on the spot.
The videos and photos below shed light on the tragic incident.
Statement by Yimochi Melville, the Rupununi Beekeeper Who Was Summoned to the Scene to Help Smoke Out the Bees
A short video of the bees that caused the death of Mr.Darrell and the hospitalization of his son is posted at the end of this article.
These bees have built their colony in a 12 inch steel pipe that that is under the road and probably put there as a culvert. However a larger concrete Culvert is installed a few feet from it as I suppose this pipe was not sufficient for the drainage required. The said pipe is blocked from one end by earth, not sure if intentionally or unintentionally. So this cavity is a perfect place for bees to make a home. From the sheer volume of bees exiting this pipe I can judge that it is a huge colony with a massive bee population.
After receiving a call from lethem Police seeking assistance, I responded the best I could and went with the police to the location. However being so far from lethem the time it took to drive there it was basically a recovery and no longer a rescue operation.
As we left Lethem, it was great to hear that persons at the site were able to rescue the son, however the man appeared to have died.
The man with the motorcycle who rescued the boy deserves a national award for bravery. Not many can do what he did. I don’t know what’s his name.
Upon arrival at the location, someone from the Lethem ambulance that was on-site and myself was able to recover the body of Mr. Darrell and place him into the police vehicle. They drove to a safe distance and was attended to by the medical personnel there but sadly it was too late. The bees were still in an aggressive mode.
What I observed was: Mr . Darrel had a broken leg. The motorcycle was a total wreck. One red German helmet was smashed. Another full face helmet was intact. It looked to me like the motorcycle ran off the road and hit smack into the end of this pipe that is sticking out at the side of the road. And very unlucky for them, this same pipe is the home of a massive colony of bees. This impact is what caused the bees to become agitated and aggressive.
I recommend that this pipe be removed or sealed with concrete as it don’t appear to be functioning as a culvert, as there is a larger concrete one a few feet away and it is also blocked. If not, bees will continue to make it a home.
To the family of Mr. Daniel Darrell, I am deeply sorry for your loss and I only hoped that I would have been able to help more.
Dan Jonas, the Man on Motorcycle Who Rescued the Victim
Dan Jonas, of Toka Village, North Rupununi is the man on motorcycle who rescued the young boy before the beekeeper arrived. He is hailed as a hero for his bravery by the people of the Rupununi.
The Young Boy Who Survived
Below are some photos of the young boy who was rescued and rushed to the Lethem Regional Hospital, and who survived the bee attack.
