Comanche, Texas – Three horses on a Comanche, Texas, ranch died earlier this month after a swarm of bees engulfed them while they grazed near their owner’s home. The horses were in a “black cloud” of bees when Baillie Hillman saw them on the morning of May 9.
She tells KTAB, “At about 11, I went out just to check on the horses, and I noticed that they weren’t moving and weren’t eating and that’s not normal.” She tried to cover her body and approached the swarm to get the horses to move, but she was unsuccessful.
Hillman called emergency services for help and phoned her boyfriend, James Ramirez, who immediately went to work in an effort to save them. He tells the news agency, “Pulling in, it just looked like a black cloud over all the horses. I didn’t know what to think. I just knew I had to get them out of there. … I put my sunglasses on, tied a sweatshirt around my face and went to try to get the horses out.”
With the help of EMS, a beekeeper’s suit, the local fire department, and a foam made from dish soap, the horses were finally haltered and led away from the deadly swarm. Tragically, the damage was already done. Two horses, Ace and Clovis, died hours after being stung. The other horse, Pepper, lived just 24 hours despite veterinary care.
The bees had been living in a tree, which the couple had removed, but they are mourning the loss of their beloved horses. Ramirez said, “The horses were our best friends pretty much, so it was just tough losing them.” They hope that others learn from their tragedy and make an effort to find and remove hives from their property.
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