A golf course worker in southern Arizona died last month after being assaulted by a swarm of bees while on the job, according to his employer.
Rick Messina, 57, worked on the agronomy team at El Conquistador Golf & Tennis in Oro Valley, just north of Tucson, where he helped maintain the property grounds. He was stung on the morning of June 24 at the eighth hole at Pusch Ridge Golf Course, one of El Conquistador’s three courses, in “a tragic workplace accident,” according to a statement from the club’s managers.
Messina had been mowing the rough around the Pusch Ridge course when the swarm struck. According to the statement, emergency personnel transported him to a local hospital, where he died three days later, on June 27, from complications caused by the bee stings. Messina has worked as a groundskeeper for El Conquistador since July 2022.
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The club’s management team stated that experienced beekeepers were summoned on the afternoon of the attack to search the area immediately surrounding the eighth hole at Pusch Ridge for beehives or other remnants of the swarm, which were not discovered.
Citing local experts, they stated that summer is “peak season for bee swarms” and encouraged El Conquistador members to be cautious in the coming months. Because beekeepers found no indication of the bees that attacked Messina, the scientists concluded that the swarm was most likely a traveling one.
“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. “His untimely death is a great loss to our work family and our community. “He will be deeply missed by everyone.”
Darryl Janisse, the general manager of El Conquistador Golf, issued an email to club members informing them of the attack and Messina’s death.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am emailing our membership with a tragic incident that took place at Pusch Ridge involving one of our work associates and a swarm of bees,” Janisse wrote at the time. He also stated that all 45 holes on the club’s courses had been inspected for beehives and bee activity.
Janisse stated that in the aftermath of the attack, the club would implement safety practices, such as putting posters to remind guests “to always be watchful of wildlife and venomous creatures” and continuing to train personnel on bee safety.
El Conquistador Golf and Indigo Sports, a golf course management company, claimed it was directing resources to help Messina’s family and employees at El Conquistador, but no other information was supplied.
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Arizona is home to a variety of bee species, with scientists stating that most do not pose severe risks to humans unless provoked. However, researchers at the University of Arizona and the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, a component of the United States Department of Agriculture situated in Tucson, have cautioned that bee behavior can be unpredictable and aggressive. Africanized honey bees, for example, which can be found in Arizona, are known as “killer bees” due to their high tenacity throughout an assault and the potential for their poisons to cause serious, sometimes deadly, harm to the human body as per CBSNEWS.
People are cautioned to avoid places with bee colonies or moving swarms. The Tuscon Research Center noted that bees can become triggered abruptly and then defend themselves. Bees may be triggered by noisy machinery as well as any clothing that is rough, dark in color, or made of leather.