BRECKENRIDGE, Texas  — A Texas man died Monday of cardiac arrest after being attacked by an aggressive swarm of bees, firefighters reported.

The man, identified as 70-year-old Thomas Hicks, was mowing the lawn at his home in Breckenridge, which is located about 130 miles west of Dallas.

The Breckenridge Fire Department reported Hicks had been severely stung and while medics and firefighters attempted emergency care, he didn’t make it.

Hicks’ wife, Zoni Hicks, told TV station KTAB that she had been out grocery shopping when she returned to find her husband screaming and covered in bees.

“You couldn’t even see his back and his whole head — he was just covered,” she said.

Zoni Hicks was also stung repeatedly and she was treated and released from a hospital.

The hive was located and removed by a local beekeeper and a firefighter using foam and hand tools.

According to the Mayo Clinic, bee stings are most commonly a nuisance but if someone is allergic to them or is stung numerous times, it can cause a serious reaction, or even death.

The Associated Press contriubted to this report.