RICE farmer Goberdhan Polastray of WestBury, Essequibo Coast had to abandon his tractor in a rice field at D9 Better Success backdam on Saturday and run for his life after hundreds of angry African bees swooped down on him.

The farmer and his nephew, “Coney”, were reportedly ploughing and levelling their ten-acre rice field with a tractor when the swarm of angry bees swooped down on them and began stinging. He said he was severely stung on his head, face, neck and arms, and quickly stopped the tractor and ran for his life, with hundreds of bees in hot pursuit.

The farmer said the bees would not abandon the chase although he fell down several times in the muddy rice field. He said he escaped after he reached the bank of the field and took cover under some huge mango trees. The farmer said his nephew had run to another bank of the field and so escaped the killer bees.

Goberdhan, a very experienced tractor operator, said the bees that have their hive on a tree in a clump of bushes not far from his rice field were probably disturbed by the noise of the tractor, and so attacked them. The farmer said he had sustained numerous stings in similar fashion several years ago while ploughing the same rice field.

The farmer and his nephew had to seek medical attention at the Charity hospital.

(Rajendra Prabhulall in Essequibo)