Man on the mend after bee attack in Hearne

A man hospitalized after being attacked by bees in Hearne on Tuesday morning has been upgraded to fair condition.

Clark Rudy, 56, had been mowing the lawn near the C&C Secure Self Storage facility in the 800 block of West Brown Street at about 11 a.m. when the bees attacked, Hearne police said.

He was airlifted to St. Joseph hospital in critical condition, but a Hearne police dispatcher said Rudy was awake and communicating through written notes on Wednesday.

A paramedic who responded to the call on Tuesday morning was also treated, but a shift captain with Robertson County EMS said that person was doing well.

The area around the storage facility and an abandoned hotel were roped off Tuesday, and beekeepers from Moody Ranch Outfitters in Anderson vacuumed up the bees Wednesday morning.

Representatives at Moody Ranch Outfitters did not respond to requests for comment, but the website said the company relocates bees to its ranch in Grimes County instead of killing them.

Bill Baxter, the state's assistant chief apiary inspector, said beekeepers typically vacuum the bees and use smoke to pacify them.

While police have not revealed what kinds of bees were involved or where their colony was located, Baxter said bees can be found inside walls and even in a hole in the ground.

"The public needs to realize that this was an isolated incident, and the one thing I always tell people is before you crank up the lawn mower, walk around the yard and be aware of what's there," he said.

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Man on the mend after bee attack in Hearne