SAN ANTONIO — Crossing the street away from Nimitz Middle School is a must these days because a huge colony of Africanized killer bees have moved in.
“I know about two students that have been stung by the bees on their walk to school,” seventh-grader Hannelore Esslinger said.
Esslinger said when city workers made contact with the bees, things got scary.
“It literally looked like an explosion,” Esslinger said. “They started messing with the pole, some of the workers, and it exploded. Bees went everywhere.”
She says one man had to be pulled inside the school because the bees attacked. He needed an EpiPen.
“There’s the pole with the bees that needs to be taken care of by the city,” concerned mother Amy Mclin said.
Mclin has two students who attend Nimitz. She was confused when she got a school lockdown alert last week.
“The school was on lockdown for the treatment of a bee hive,” Mclin said. “Which, as a parent, you’re like, a bee hive? So what?”
Since then, she’s realized this is serious and EMS has been called three times. School staff is doing all they can to keep kids out of harm’s way.
“The kids' life at school has been disrupted,” Mclin said. “Getting to and from school. And the administration is very concerned about the safety of the kids.”
According to CPS Energy, the problem has been resolved. Contractors sprayed inside the pole and foamed the holes again this week to address the bee issue.
“They’ve tried to treat it and it hasn’t worked, actually,” Esslinger said.
Outdoor activities have been canceled or moved indoors for safety. Everyone is ready for the bees to be gone.
“Needs to be dealt with,” Mclin said.