Forest department cautions tourists as bee sting cases rise

"Seventy of us, including staff, had gone on a trek to Amba Ambika caves on February 27. When some students were stung, we went to help them when some of us got stung too,” recalled Gargote.

Only three students (including Riya), and Gargote, were in intensive care. "We have been regularly going for treks to these caves but this is the first time such an incident occurred,” she said. (Representational)

Little did 14-year-old Riya Ghatkar know that a bee sting while trekking at Amba Ambika caves at Junnar with her school group would lead to intensive care and hospital admission for at least ten days. “We were sitting near the caves when I felt the bee sting and I collapsed,” said Riya who has recovered and is set to attend school at Kadus, Rajgurunagar in Khed tehsil of Pune district.

The incident, that occurred a month ago, saw Jayashree Gargote, founder of Dynamic school at Kadus, also hospitalized after the bee attack. “Seventy of us, including staff, had gone on a trek to Amba Ambika caves on February 27. When some students were stung, we went to help them when some of us got stung too,” recalled Gargote. Most of the 23 students who were stung were discharged after first aid. Only three students (including Riya), and Gargote, were in intensive care. “We have been regularly going for treks to these caves but this is the first time such an incident occurred,” she said.

Across Junnar tehsil, however, there have been at least five incidents of bee attack reported in the past two to three months. Ajit Shinde, Range Forest Officer, Junnar tehsil, said such incidents have been reported by tourists who visited Shivneri fort a fortnight ago and others from Savargaon and Narayangaon. “We have put up boards across various locations in Junnar urging tourists to ensure that they do not wear bright-coloured clothes, smoke, use mobile or camera flash lights and avoid strong smelling perfumes and hair oils,” he said.

“We recorded some severe cases at our hospital in Junnar tehsil in Pune district,” Dr Sadanand Raut said. Dr Raut, who is well known in Narayangaon for creating awareness and treating snake bite cases, said in the last two years, he has treated as many as 60 persons stung by bees. “In the recent incident involving school students, Riya was quite critical. She had a rash, severe itching and swelling all over her body. She also had difficulty in breathing and needed oxygen support for three to four days,” Dr Raut recalled. It was only after ten days that she was discharged from Dr Raut’s nursing home at Narayangaon.

While Dr Raut said that these incidents were not unusual, he admitted that there was a rise in cases. “Forest fires can also disturb honey bees apart from the rising summer heat,” he said. N R Praveen, Chief Conservator of Forest, Pune circle, said there was a possibility of a link between the extreme heat and rising stress levels in bees. “We do not have enough data on cases as most patients who get stung avail of OPD-based treatment and do not report to the forest department,” he said.

To create awareness about honey bees, the forest department had released a postal cover on the issue on World Forestry Day on March 21. “It is wise to keep a safe distance from them and not get too close to the hives as honey bees can feel threatened and then attack,” Praveen said. The bee hives should not be disturbed as bees do not directly attack unless they feel threatened, says Hemantkumar Dumbre, master trainer on apiculture at Central Bee Research and Training Institute, Pune. Dr Satish Pande whose ELA foundation is involved in conservation of nature, said bees do not sting without extreme provocation. “Bees play an important role in pollination and have a distinct place in ecology. But these stings can bring about a lot of morbidity including bronchospasm,” Dr Pande added.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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