Bees Attack Campers in Patterson

The scene resembled an Alfred Hitchcock horror flick.

A swarm of bees attacked a group of eight and nine-year-olds attending Camp Herrlich in Patterson last week when one of the children accidentally stepped on a bee hive along a trail in a wooded area of the camp.

A call to the Putnam 911 Dispatch Center at 3pm sent police, fire, and EMS personnel to the scene off Deacon Smith Hill Road.

Camp Herrlich Executive Director Bob Gentile told the Courier that while “a number” of children were stung, six were transported to Putnam Hospital Center for treatment, while the others were given first aid by the medical staff at the popular camp, which ended its season last Friday.

Gentile said the attack could not have been prevented: “The kids walked along that path all summer. They just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and one of the children apparently stepped on the hive, which resulted in a stinging frenzy. It was a fluke thing!”

Gentile had praise for members of the county’s EMS team: “They were wonderful and went above and beyond the call of duty. We in Putnam County are truly blessed to have such professionals available when needed.”

Joining with the Patterson Fire Department Rescue Squad were paramedics from the TransCare Ambulance Service, Brewster State Police, members of the Putnam Bureau of Emergency Services, and the county’s EMS Director Robert Cuomo.

—Eric Gross