Tragic bee sting victim is named as tributes pour in for ‘lovely lady’

Tributes have been flooding social media and online forums for a woman who died after she was stung by bees yesterday afternoon in County Mayo.

Kathleen Devine, who was in her 70’s, was collecting honey from hives near her home with her husband Desmond, when some of the insects swarmed and attacked her.

The tragedy happened in the Heathfield area, outside the village of Ballycastle in north Mayo.

Several people attempted to help the woman but they were also stung a number of times.

Emergency services were called to the scene and the victim was airlifted to Sligo General Hospital by the Rescue 118 Coastguard Helicopter, but she died from her injuries a short time later.

A man and a woman were also treated in hospital after the attack.

The Mayo Beekeepers’ Association has paid tribute to Mrs Devine saying she was ‘an accomplished and cherished member’ of its community, and they offered their sincere sympathies to the womans family.

Reports from beekeepers say that fatalities arising from the practice of gathering honey from hives are very rare, but in some cases, people can have severe allergic reactions to stings. Bees can be more protective in poorer weather conditions and more easily agitated when their crop is removed from a hive.

Todays Irish Independent Newspaper quotes Jude Walsh, of Ballina Beekeepers Mayo, who said ‘She was a lovely woman and they are a lovely family. Everyone is so sad and upset’.

‘Kathleen and Des would be well known and do very well at honey shows across the country’.

‘The Phoenix Park honey show is on this weekend, and they would always do quite well at that, so it is so sad this has happened.’

‘My understanding is Des and Kathleen were helping someone else manage their hive, which would be very typical of them.’