Beekeeper survives ordeal

By NATASHA HARRIS

Battered and bruised and stung by hundreds of bees, Chris Robinson spent a long night cowering inside his upturned beekeeping truck in central Hawkes Bay waiting to be rescued.

Mr Robinson, in his mid-50s, was found by rescuers at 10am yesterday.

He had spent 12 hours inside his truck after it went off a farm track and rolled down a 20m bank.

Bees from the 40 hives he had been transporting had swarmed after the crash and stung him repeatedly.

Mr Robinson had been distributing hives across the remote Smedley Station in Tikokino on Tuesday night, when the back wheel of his truck went over the edge of the track.

His wife, Laine, said she knew something had happened to her husband when he did not arrive home by midnight.

"He takes beehives out at night because the bees don't sting, but when he wasn't home by midnight I became very worried.

"I called the station manager at 5.30 in the morning to ask him to look for Chris," Mrs Robinson said.

At night bees are normally more docile and crawl instead of fly, and are less likely to sting unless severely provoked.

Station manager Terry Walters called in Takapau beekeeper James Ward to help rescue Mr Robinson.

"I got the call from the manager because I'm the only beekeeper in the area," Mr Ward said last night, "but by the time I got there the paramedics had just got him out.

"He was conscious but badly dehydrated."

The Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter was used to complete the evacuation.

A helicopter spokesman said that because of the location and the proximity of the bees, Mr Robinson was winched from the accident site to an area where he could receive treatment.

"The helicopter rotor-wash had the effect of keeping the bees down while he was removed from the vehicle, and minimised the exposure to ambulance staff of any irate stinging bees."

Mr Robinson was taken to Hastings Hospital with two broken bones in one leg and hundreds of stings to his chest and neck.

Mrs Robinson said he was "very battered and bruised".

"He's got hundreds of bee stings and he's been on morphine but he'll pull through.

"He's looking a sorry sight, but I'm so happy he's okay."

Mr Robinson is expected to remain in hospital for a week.

The 4000ha Smedley Station, 40km west of Waipukurau at the foot of the Wakarara Ranges, is used as a training ground for young farmers.