Arizona golf course worker, 57, dies in bee attack on 8th hole: ‘Tragic workplace accident’
A golf course worker in southern Arizona died after being attacked by a swarm of bees while tending to the eighth hole, according to media reports.
Rick Messina, 57, was mowing the lawn by the eighth hole at Pusch Ridge Golf Course in Oro Valley when the bees struck.
The tragic incident happened June 24 at the course about 10 miles north of Tucson, where Messina helped maintain the property grounds.
He died at a local hospital due to complications from the bee stings three days later, CBS News reported Thursday.
It was “a tragic workplace accident,” the club’s managers said in a statement to the outlet.
Messina was employed as a groundskeeper for El Conquistador Golf & Tennis, which manages the greens, since 2022.
Beekeepers reportedly found no hives or bee activity on the day of the incident.
“It appears Rick was attacked by a traveling swarm of bees,” El Conquistador Golf said in a statement to USA Today.
Messina was “known for his exceptional work ethic, positive attitude and unwavering commitment to his duties,” the company added.
Messina took pride in his work, and did everything in his power to beautify the course, his pal Anna Bifano, vice president of Friends of Pusch Ridge Golf, told News 13.
There will be a memorial bench dedicated to him on site.
In his free time, Messina took care of his parents, Bifano added.
From 2011 to 2021, there were 788 deaths from hornet, wasp and bee stings — or an average of 72 deaths per year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Summertime is “peak season for bee swarms,” El Conquistador Golf wrote.
