Three people taken to hospital after bee attack at East Coast condo

The bees swarmed around a couple and two security guards, who tried to ward the bees away with electric fans.

But that didn’t work, and three people ended up being taken to Changi General Hospital.

The incident happened on Dec 14 at Lagoon View condominium in East Coast. The bees struck again the next day and stung another security guard, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

A resident, Mr Leung Ming Sui, told the Chinese daily that one of the security guards was “stung so badly that his whole face was red and swollen”.

Mr Yusof, a cleaner at the condo, said there were “at least 300 to 400 bees”.

“I took insecticide and sprayed them. I didn’t realise there were so many,” he told Lianhe Zaobao.

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Tasked with finding the hive, he said he failed to do so and left a bottle of insecticide for the security guards to arm themselves with in case of another attack.

A resident, who gave her name as Jenny, said bees were not uncommon at the condo as they’ve been spotted nesting in flower pots and furniture.

Said the 71-year-old retiree: “I would just spray them with insecticide and things are much better now. I didn’t realise this was happening.”

The condo’s management committee told Lianhe Zaobao that it called the pest control company immediately after the incident to get rid of the beehive.

The exterminator later found the bees’ nest at the entrance of the condo, in a large tree near the security room, said residents.

It became clear why it was not easy to spot – it was about 6m above the ground.

As the hive was in the shape of a long strip wrapped around the trunk of the tree, it was likely to be made up of Malayan honey bees, which probably swarmed around the victims because the hive had been disturbed.

A spokesman from pest control company WTG Pest Control said that bees rarely attack people unless provoked.

“There are two methods to remove the hive: relocation and culling. However, the best way to avoid being stung is to stay away from bees when you see them, and do not deliberately disturb or get too close,” he said.