Bees, the latest bugbear in MP: Two killed in attack

A swarm of honeybees chased a BJP parliamentarian and his men away when they were spearheading the Prime Minister's Swaccha Bharat mission at Damoh, about 240 km from Bhopal.

MP from Damoh Prahlad Patel and his men were at Belatal in Damoh district where the bee attack left two of his men injured. Sources said watching the MP and his men scoot with their brooms and buckets appeared hilarious, but it indicated a growing bee menace in the region.

There have been six incidents of honeybee attacks in different parts of the state in which 70 people were reported hurt. In one of the incidents, a man lost his life when he jumped into a well to evade the bees in Betul district on February 28.

On February 23, honeybees attacked voters standing in a queue in Jamsha village in Damoh district and hurt three middle-aged voters. The polling had to be postponed for half- an-hour as the voters ran to save themselves.

On February 26, a group of people of Icchawar town of Sehore district had gathered at a cremation ground for performing the last rites of a man.

During the cremation, honeybees attacked the people so furiously that everybody ran away leaving the body behind. About 40 people were injured in the incident. Last week, a number of people in the main market of Sheopur were injured in a honeybee attack.

Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya's senior scientist and entomologist KK Nema said, "This is not a common phenomenon. Honeybee attack at so many places in a short span of time may be a coincidence but attributing this to any reason would not be appropriate."

Meanwhile, a 40-year old man died after being attacked by a swarm of honeybees in Barwani on Monday evening, police said.

Buddhan Kotiyar, a resident of Mundiyapura village, about 25km east of Barwani, was stung by a swarm of honeybees while he and a group of fellow villagers were returning home after attending an engagement ceremony.

Two others villagers were admitted at the Barwani district hospital. Twenty other villagers, who received minor injuries, were admitted at the health centres at Mundiyapura and Haribad. According to the villagers, the incident occurred at around 5pm.

Their jeep developed a flat tire near a pond on the outskirt of Haribad village, when the attack took place, they said. Kotiyar died on the way to the Barwani district hospital.