Toddler among 2 residents stung during mysterious 'bee invasion' in Simei

Julia Tan
The New Paper
31 May 2017

Two residents, including a toddler, were stung as hundreds of bees swarmed around two Housing Board blocks in Simei Street 1 on Monday evening.

A housewife who wanted to be known only as Ms Kavita, 45, was cooking dinner when she noticed bees flying around her.

Her eight-year-old daughter then told her there was a swarm of bees in the living room of their third-storey unit in Block 134.

When The New Paper visited yesterday, dozens of dead bees littered the linkway between Blocks 133 and 134, which overlook Simei Park.

The dead bees were also in some homes.

Ms Layla Ali, 39, a research assistant who lives below Ms Kavita, said more than 100 bees had flown into her unit.

Mr Swadeep Chhotray, 40, a technical manager who lives on the seventh storey, had relatives in his home then.

He said his nieces could not concentrate on their studies, and his sister-in-law was stung on the foot.

Several residents said a toddler living on the ninth storey was taken to hospital after being stung.

Ms Kavita said: "I was worried because I'm allergic to bee stings. It leads to very painful swelling and itching."

She said she called the police and the East Coast Town Council, which said it would send a pest control team.

But the team left after some of the members were stung, Ms Kavita claimed.

She said a second team arrived at her flat around 12.30am.

By then, she and her husband had lit incense burners to keep the bees at bay.

When TNP called the town council yesterday, a spokesman said it was investigating the matter.

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