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Aurillac Removes Rooftop Apiary After Bees Injure 24

Officials are deciding whether to cull or relocate the removed hive against a backdrop of proposed city beekeeping rules

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Overview

  • A half-hour swarm on July 6 saw rooftop bees descend on Aurillac’s streets, stinging 24 people and hospitalizing three.
  • Firefighters, police and medical teams quickly secured the area, treating victims on site and resuscitating a 78-year-old who suffered cardiorespiratory arrest.
  • All three critically injured patients have since stabilized, including the elderly victim who endured 25 stings.
  • Mayor Pierre Mathonier suggested Asian hornets threatening the rooftop hive provoked the attack, but experts note bees typically defend by retreating.
  • The Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux apiary has been removed while authorities weigh relocation or culling and consider new urban hive regulations.