Massive bee swarm that escaped from neighbor kills California family's 4 dogs

ByJosh Haskell KABC logo
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Massive bee swarm kills 4 dogs in Palmdale family's backyard
A massive swarm of bees killed a Palmdale family's four dogs - and it turns out the bees belong to a neighbor.

PALMDALE, Calif. -- Rebecka Lopez and Daniel Giron are in mourning over the deaths of four of their six dogs who were attacked by a swarm of bees last week in Palmdale, California.

"It seemed like thousands of bees. If I remember correctly the vet said she pulled out 900 stingers from our puppy Pancake's ears," said Giron.

Giron was at work when his wife FaceTimed him to show him what was happening in their backyard. Their English bulldogs Sansa and Pancake were covered in bees. And their two Dobermans, Drago and Khalisse, were panicking as they tried to get the bees off.

"When she flipped over the camera, I saw my poor little Sansa covered in bees trying to swat them away rolling around in the ground and she tried to run to safety. As my spouse sat there behind the window unable to open it because our kids were inside," said Giron.

The couple rushed the dogs to the vet, but there was little that could be done. When they got home, they went door-to-door warning neighbors about the swarm of bees. That's when they say they were told by one of their neighbors that the bees belonged to them and had escaped.

"His negligence - our dogs had to suffer and pay for. I hate the night because I'm going to have nightmares about what happened again. In the morning, I hate waking up because I would always see them sunbathing right here by the window every morning and when I wake up, I don't see them anymore," said Lopez.

The family say they're looking into legal action and they've set up a GoFundMe page to cover the damage to their home and their veterinary bill.