Bee aficionado dies after being stung

BRIMFIELD, Ill. -- A 67-year-old Brimfield retiree, known to local residents as the "Bee Man," has died after an allergic reaction to multiple bee stings, the Peoria County Coroner said.

Don Waldman died Wednesday evening at Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, about two hours after his family called for an ambulance, Peoria County Coroner Dan Heinz said. He said he did not know how many times Waldman was stung.

"He knew he was allergic," Heinz said.

Family members gave Waldman an injection of epinephrine -- a drug that can sometimes reverse serious sting reactions-- but it didn't work, Heinz said.

In severe cases an allergic reaction to a bee sting can cause swelling in the throat and lungs, which is what happened with Waldman, Heinz said.

Waldman, a retired Caterpillar Inc. engineering supervisor, had tended to bees for about 20 years and boarded about a dozen hives behind his home. In general, as many as 40,000 bees can live in a hive.

This is the time of year when beekeepers first open the hives to clean them and to see how many bees died over the winter, said Steve Mayes, former president of the Heart of Illinois Beekeepers Association and an acquaintance of Waldman's.

"Opening the hive at this time of the year, they tend to be a little grumpy," said Mayes, who owns about 130 hives.

Neighbors said Waldman could always be seen outside tending to his bees or working in the garden.

"He was loved by everyone," one fellow beekeeper and Brimfield resident said, noting that Waldman shared his love and knowledge of bees with area school children. "He'll be missed."