‘A black cloud’: 81-year-old man says he was attacked by swarm of bees — and survived

All Thomas Mizell could do was run.

The 81-year-old man was helping his cousin in a Cleveland, Texas field last week when a “black cloud of bees” attacked him, he told the Houston Chronicle.

Mizell told the newspaper he ran into the woods toward a lake, but couldn’t see where he was going as the bees stung him relentlessly.

“I said, ‘Lord, help me.’ When I fell down trying to get out of the bees, He said, ‘Walk by faith,’ so I did,” Mizell told the Chronicle. “My heart was pounding as I went toward that pond.”

After Mizell jumped in, he saw his family, Fox 26 reported. Mizell’s wife, Mary, told the news station she’d had a feeling something wasn’t right — so she and the couple’s son left early to pick Thomas up. That’s when she saw him covered in bees, Fox 26 reported. By then he’d gotten out of the pond, according to the news station.

Mizell was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for an estimated 1,000 bee stings, the news station said. He’s recovering at home, according to the Chronicle.

In El Paso, Texas (roughly 800 miles west), about a million “Africanized and European” hybrid bees reportedly infested a beekeeper’s home, taking up residence in the walls and attic, news outlets reported in April.

Those bees are 20 to 30 times more aggressive than common honeybees, KFOX said.

Bees are more active in the summer months. If bees are chasing you, never jump into a body of water, experts told Scientific American; it won't deter the insects. Wearing light-colored clothing in areas where you might encounter bee swarms is more likely to keep bees away, as they tend to respond to darker clothing, according to the publication.

This story was originally published July 4, 2018 at 8:53 PM with the headline "‘A black cloud’: 81-year-old man says he was attacked by swarm of bees — and survived."