Arizona golf course worker dies after being attacked by swarm of bees

A golf course worker in southern Arizona died last month after being attacked by a swarm of bees while on the job, his employer said. 

Rick Messina, 57, was a member of the agronomy team at El Conquistador Golf & Tennis in Oro Valley, just north of Tuscon, where he helped maintain the property grounds. He was stung on the morning of June 24 near the eighth hole at Pusch Ridge Golf Course, which is one of three courses run by El Conquistador, and it was "a tragic workplace accident," according to a statement from the club's managers.

Messina had been mowing the rough around the Pusch Ridge course when the swarm attacked. Emergency services took him to a local hospital, and he died three days later, on June 27, from complications due to the bee stings, according to the statement. Messina had been employed as a groundskeeper by El Conquistador since July 2022.