Aggressive bees take over Texas street

Waco, Texas -- Police blocked off an area of Waco, Texas, after rampaging bees took over the neighborhood, stung about a dozen people and killed two dogs.

A teenage girl was hospitalized after being stung more than 20 times by the swarming insects and at least 10 other people were stung, most of them repeatedly, The Waco Tribune-Herald reported Thursday.

The bees killed two dogs and caused two other to be sent to veterinary hospitals with more than 500 stings each, the newspaper said.

The bees were set off in an aggressive rampage when beekeeping hobbyist Jim Bartley attempted to remove a hive from the property of the Rev. C.J. Oliver. Bartley said the bees became unusually aggressive and began to attack, stinging him several times despite his protective gear, the newspaper said.

"I've worked with bees for 35, 40 years, and I've never worked with bees that were more aggressive than those," he told the Tribune-Herald.

He said the bees took over an area extending two blocks from their colony.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.