Stung by bees 500 times: Utah family says dad needs help recovering

LEHI, Utah (ABC4) — A 78-year-old man named Richard Mockabee is recovering from being stung over 500 times by killer bees. His family says he was trying to rescue his dog from the swarm when it happened.

It was a normal morning out in Mexico while on vacation. Richard left his dog, Gretta, in the back of his pickup truck to get breakfast. When he got back, Gretta was surrounded by Africanized bees. Richard wasted no time rushing in to save his best friend.

Some people call the Africanized honey bee “killer bees.” Insect scientists say they showed up in Utah for the first time in 2008. They are more defensive than European honeybees and can pursue an attacker further and in greater numbers.

“He has worked with bees before; He is a beekeeper. But being attacked by 500 is a different story,” said Stephen Mockabee, Richard’s son.

In Richard’s case, the attack left him with severe injuries and life-changing complications. Gretta, unfortunately, did not make it.

Stephen said it was a miracle getting his dad back up to the border. He described a chaotic scene with an ambulance, saying “everyone was running around all over the place.”

“You never see your parents, you know, in a terrible light. It’s always in a good, you know, heroic area,” said Stephen. “But seeing him passed out in the front seat of his truck definitely weighs a lot on me.”

Two months later, Richard is continuing his recovery at a rehabilitation clinic in California. Daily tasks, such as walking and caring for himself, are still a struggle. But one of the hardest things to deal with has been losing Gretta. Stephen told ABC4 that Gretta was everything to his dad.

“It was very hard to tell him as he was trying to recover and actually use his voice and trying to eat again,” said Stephen. “He was asking where his dog was.”

As Richard continues his recovery, Stephen asks everyone to keep his dad in their thoughts, adding, “and if you can, just out of the kindness of your heart, with donations, that would be fantastic as well.”

Richard’s family established a GoFundMe to help cover his medical expenses and ultimately, bring him home to Lehi. That GoFundMe can be found by clicking here.