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Florida man survives killer bee attack while trimming trees: 'Pain was just excruciating'

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Updated  November 22, 2024 5:53pm EST
Brevard County
FOX 35 Orlando

Florida tree trimmer survives killer bee attack

A Brevard County man is recovering after a vicious killer bee attack. Jon Christian was trimming trees for work in Floral City when thousands came in for the kill. He works for Melbourne-based All Florida Land Services and travels across the state for jobs.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A Brevard County man is recovering after a vicious killer bee attack. 

Jon Christian was trimming trees for work in Floral City when thousands came in for the kill. He works for Melbourne-based All Florida Land Services and travels across the state for jobs. 

Not only was he stung more than 120 times, he’s also allergic to bee stings. To top it off, he was on a crane and fell more than 30 feet to the ground when the bees started stinging. 

This all happened 24 hours ago, and Jon was well enough to leave the hospital on Thursday. Now, he’s thanking his crew of employees for saving his life. He still has swollen welts and is pulling out stingers from all over his body, but at least he's alive.

"To me, it felt like somebody dipped my head in gasoline and set it on fire. The pain was just excruciating," said Jon Christian. 

He was trimming trees and hit the hive which sent thousands of bees in for the kill.

"The doctor said that either I have superhuman strength or I’m the luckiest person in the world," he said. 

That’s because all the swelling had already gone down, and he didn’t break any bones when he fell. He credits his employees who were nearby and jumped in to save his life.

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"We all picked him up and carried him to the car and did our best to get him to the hospital so nothing else happened," said one of the employees, Omar Sawyer. 

On Thursday, "The Bee Man" Grant Roberts was called in to take down the nest. He says the hive spanned the entire tree trunk.

FOX 35’s Esther Bower asked Roberts if Christian was at risk of dying during this. 

"They absolutely could have killed him," he responded. "Allergic or not, when you get stung that many times over your body, you’re not getting away from it."

Thankfully, he got away, and his wife is still trying to process the terrifying ordeal.

"All the swelling is gone. He just has little red marks on him. It’s insane. I can’t process this. I just can’t," concluded Shanae Christian. 

Moving forward, he’s going to buy bee suits for his employees when they’re out trimming trees. We also asked The Bee Man if there was any way to avoid an attack. Roberts says if you see a few bees near an area, don't be caught off guard because thousands could be hiding. 

Whether it’s a tree or shed, they will build their hives anywhere. Stay away because you don’t want to get too close to angry bees. 

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