Swarming bees are being blamed for the death of a horse in Riverside Calif. John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services, said that on July 28 he and other Animal Services personnel found the horse dead on a Riverside property. The animal died after sustaining an unknown number of bee stings, Welsh said.

Welsh said animal welfare authorities were called to the property at the request of the horse’s owner while he was at the hospital undergoing emergency treatment for multiple bee stings.

"When we got call, we rushed over to property, but the horse was already deceased," Welsh said. He noted that the bees that attacked the horse and its owner came from two separate hives. One of the hives was located in a pepper tree in the center of a ranch-style property.

Animal Services Sergeant Jason Sanders said the owner was preparing to spray the horse with fly repellant when the attack occurred