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By Gena McGuiness
Two Smallville High School students are listed in stable condition and a third has been upgraded to good condition after a swarm of bees attacked them this week. For Paul Chan, the assault took place in his home when "thousands of bees came up through the bathroom drain," he said. Chan, who suffered massive stings to his face, has recovered without complication and should be released from Smallville Medical Center sometime next week. Felice Chandler, daughter of successful businessman R. Joseph Chandler, was attacked in her vehicle as she was leaving school. The popular Smallville High cheerleader remains hospitalized, as does her classmate Sasha Woodman, the most serious of the three because of an allergy to bee venom. Woodman, like Chan, was attacked at home.
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Metropolis' Center for Environmental Protection was called in to investigate the possibility that the insects were Africanized bees, commonly known as killer bees. However, examination of the dead bees found at the Chan residence and in the Chandler vehicle did not confirm those fears. Oddly, beekeepers across Kansas are reporting empty hives, much to the chagrin of farmers who use bees for crop pollination. Meanwhile, entomologists at Kansas State University are stumped by the extremely large swarm here in Smallville, citing that colonies usually divide when the population becomes too great. Efforts are underway to trap the queen bee--controlling the queen is key to taming the colony.
As bee sting kits fly off store shelves, Smallville city officials continue to remind residents not to panic but to simply BEE CAUTIOUS.
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