Two horses were killed after being attacked by Africanized bees Saturday afternoon in Nueces County, which is the second deadly bee attack in the area in the past two months.

Bishop Animal Control and the Kleberg County Mounted Patrol responded to a call on Farm to Market Road 70 and County Road 77 after a couple came home to find one horse dead, another under attack and in distress, and their mule also under attack by a swarm of Africanized bees.

The two horses and mule were a familiar sight to motorists traveling too and from Corpus Christi via FM 70.

“Mr. Joe Carr with Animal Control in Bishop called me, and since we had just finished the Bishop Centennial Parade we were in the area, and he knew I had a trailer and could help,” Marsha Prukop, Kleberg County Mounted Patrol Officer, said.

“The couple who owned the horses are friends of mine, and I am always willing to help out in an emergency when I can,” she said.

Prukop said when she arrived one horse had already died and another was being attacked by the bees but in order to not risk their own safety she and Carr had to wait for the fire department to arrive to contain the bees.

“It was very distressing watching the horse being attacked but at the same time we could not risk our own life,” Prukop said.

“It was obvious that the horse had been stung over a thousand times, and once the fire department was able to get rid of the bees we immediately rendered aid to the horse,” she said.

A veterinarian was called and began treating the surviving horse, but the horse’s system was already shutting down, she said.

“The mule, Old Red, suffered about 50 stings as well but was able to be treated with antihistamine shots,” Prukop said.

“He was covered in mud, which we think helped him because the bees were not able to get their stingers into him easily,”

Prukop called David Deacon, a fellow Kleberg County Mounted Patrol Officer, to find a good place for the 25 year-old mule so that he could recover and get back in good health.

“We cleaned him up, and I called a good friend of mine, Sandy Alexander, who was gracious enough to keep Old Red on his land and take care of him,” Deacon said.

“He is going to be just fine.”

Deacon spoke of the increasing danger of Africanized bees in our area.

“The greatest danger we have in this area more than rattlesnakes and other animals seems to be Africanized bees because once they attack we really are defenseless,” Deacon said.

“The horses just couldn’t run away fast enough.”

This attack follows a similar one in March where two horses were killed in Riviera as a result of being stung by Africanized bees.

Africanized bees breed especially well in South Texas in cavities such as hollow trees and rock walls, sheds, porches, crawl spaces, attics and utility meter boxes.

Trash cans, discarded automobile tires and abandoned cars have also been selected by swarming bees as a suitable harborage.