WAILUKU >> A swarm of wild honey bees near residences in south Maui killed a dog that slipped its leash during a walk. Bee stings kill dog on Maui
By Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.com"It was scary, really scary," said Lorna Silkwood, who witnessed the attack. "What if it was a child?"
The attack took place about 100 yards from Silkwood's residence on Welakahao Road near a recycling area in Kihei.
Silkwood was walking her dog and her boyfriend's dog, Pico, Sunday at about 9:30 a.m., when Pico, a Dalmatian, slipped her collar and ran into a steep ditch.
Suddenly, Silkwood heard Pico crying but she was unable to get down the gulch.
Silkwood said today that she went for help and returned with her boyfriend, Bart Bascone.
Bascone and another man tried to retrieve Pico but the bees stung them, she said.
Silkwood said the dog was in considerable pain. "She was screaming and crying," Silkwood said. "The bees were all over her head."
Silkwood said the dog's age, 15, and problems with her legs might have contributed to difficulty in getting out of the ditch.
The hive had about 2,000 bees and had been there five to six years, said a beekeeper who was brought in to kill them.