Man stung ‘20,000 times’ by killer bees, swallowed some of them

Doctors say the man will eventually recover completely. (Image credit: Go Fund Me)

A 20-year-old US man was stung by bees over 20,000 times when he accidentally hit a beehive while trimming a tree.  He was airlifted to a hospital in Cincinnati in Ohio from Ripley last Friday, where he fought for his life for nearly a week.

Austin Bellamy had a kidney failure because of the attack , his mother Shawna Carter told  WCPO-TV. He also ingested about 30 bees. “They were actually sucking the bees out of his airways still Saturday night into Sunday morning," she said.

Bellamy cut into the hive of "African killer bees" while trimming a tree for a friend, his mother said on the Go Fund Me page that she set up for him.

His grandmother and uncle were on the ground while he was up on the tree , but they were attacked by bees themselves and could not help him.

Bellamy's grandmother Phyllis said he was harnessed and tried to bring himself down but failed.

He was eventually brought down from the tree by Ripley's fire department and paramedics.

His mother told The Cincinnati Enquirer he was "just covered in bees, crying for help".

Bellamy was taken to the University of Cincinnati medical center. He was in a medically-induced coma, from which he woke up earlier this week.

In an update posted on the Go Fund Me page on Thursday, Bellamy's mother said he was having breathing troubles.

"His oxygen keeps dropping and he still can’t walk very well," she wrote. "Still very wobbly but a lot of the swelling has gone down."

Over $20,000 have been raised for the young man on Go Fund Me. Doctors say he will recover completely.