Firefighters Wage "War on Bees" Amid Extreme Heat

Thick fire-resistant suits are not the only things that make summer exhausting for firefighters.

Non-breathable, rubberized bee-protection suits also wear firefighters down in the scorching heat.

During the summer, firefighters are dispatched to remove beehives anywhere from 5 to 20 times a day.

At 11:15 a.m. on the 3rd, under a continued heat wave warning, firefighters wearing protection suits removed a beehive in a pumpkin patch in Wolo-dong, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju.

The temperature was 33.3°C (92°F). Sweat poured endlessly inside the protection suit, blocking their vision, and their breathing quickly grew shallow, even causing dizziness.

Fortunately, the first beehive removal was easily completed in just five minutes.

The beehive, about the size of an adult fist, was hanging from a small branch on a slope next to the pumpkin patch. Firefighters quickly wrapped it in a plastic bag and removed it within five minutes.

However, a second beehive on a nearby slope was built around a fallen branch on the ground, making the operation difficult.

After detaching the branch wrapped by the beehive, the firefighters waited for the bees to enter the hive before wrapping the whole thing in plastic.

The part buried underground was finished off by spraying a dedicated insecticide.

After finishing the 20-minute operation and taking off the protection suit, their entire bodies were covered in sweat, to the point that even their pants were soaked through.

Fire Inspector Min, who participated in the operation, wiped away the streaming sweat with a towel and said, "Outdoor dispatches are the hardest during the scorching summer, and since beehive removals are concentrated during this period as well, it is absolute torture."

He added, "We put on and take off the protection suits up to 20 times a day, and when it comes to underground beehives, we sometimes have to mobilize shovels and work for over an hour."

Senior Firefighter Hwang repeatedly wiped away thick drops of sweat streaming down his neck, saying, "Bee-protection suits are just as frequently worn by firefighters as fire suits, and wearing them even once leaves your entire body completely drenched."

According to the North Chungcheong Fire Headquarters, dispatches for beehive removal surged from 415 in May to 1,524 in June, and 4,957 in July.

Bees are normally most active from July to September, but fire authorities believe that abnormal temperatures have caused their active period to begin about a month earlier than usual.

Bee sting accidents are also continuing to occur.

On June 24, a man in his 50s was stung four times by bees in a field in Oksan-myeon, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, and was transported to the hospital in a state of cardiac arrest.

On the 11th of last month, a man in his 70s suffered a cardiac arrest after being stung by bees in the yard of his home in Angseong-myeon, Chungju.

The total number of bee sting patients in North Chungcheong Province during June and July reached 210.

Fire authorities urged that because rashly disturbing a beehive can lead to bee stings, people should not provoke them and instead report them immediately to 119.

"Bee venom is more dangerous than we think, so we must be careful," Senior Firefighter Hwang said. "If bees attack, you should take shelter in a shaded area and lie face down in a low posture."

He added, "To prevent bee sting accidents, you should reduce the use of cosmetics or perfume and avoid wearing brightly colored clothing. If breathing difficulties or fever occur after being stung by a bee, you should quickly visit a hospital for treatment."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.