Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

A 54-year-old man in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi Province, suffered multiple stings from a swarm of giant bees in what he believes was a karma attack prompted by his removal of wood from a local spirit shrine.

 

Mr. Sutin, a local motorcycle taxi driver and fruit orchard caretaker, was attacked three separate times by a relentless swarm of Apis dorsata, giant honey bees, on the afternoon of 14 May. The incident occurred in the Muang Thong Thani housing estate.

 

Emergency services were alerted after Mr. Sutin, covered in bee stings, was found crouched on the pavement under a white mosquito net, surrounded by 70 to 100 large bees still circling him. Rescue personnel, dressed in protective gear, used insect spray and branches to drive the bees away before administering first aid.

 

According to Mr. Sutin, the attack began after he collected scrap wood from a small shrine at the end of the street to use as firewood. “I didn’t ask permission from the shrine or the landowner,” he said, “and as I began chopping the wood and lighting the fire, I was suddenly attacked by a few bees, which then turned into a full swarm.”

 

Despite trying to escape with a mosquito net over his body, the bees continued to pursue and sting him as he ran to the entrance of the street. A local resident, 65-year-old Mrs. Atcharawan, witnessed the bizarre sight and called rescue services. “I saw a man with a net over him sitting by the roadside, and hundreds of bees flying around him. Locals said he had been stung multiple times and even chased into a convenience store earlier.”

 

Mr. Sutin reported stings to his head, torso, back, abdomen, and both arms. Paramedics removed several large bee stingers from his body. However, he refused to be taken to hospital, claiming previous bee attacks had built up his resistance and he suffered no allergic reaction or fever.

 

This wasn’t the first time the bees attacked him. Mr. Sutin described three separate encounters throughout the afternoon, growing in intensity. He firmly believes the attacks were linked to his disturbance of sacred materials. “When I lit the fire with that wood, I smelled something, a strange scent, like something spiritual. That’s when the bees came.”

 

Fearing another attack, Mr. Sutin said he would temporarily relocate from the orchard shelter where he lives, uncertain whether the swarm might return. Authorities have not commented on the claims but urged locals to avoid disturbing spirit shrines and to report any aggressive bee colonies immediately.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-05-16.

 

 

 

He didn't ask the bees permission what a goose