A Texas farmer was stung to death after unknowingly destroying a bee hive when he drove his tractor into a wood pile, according to NBC affiliate KCEN in Waco.

Larry Goodwin, 62, of Moody, Texas, was attacked by a swarm of 40,000 Africanized honeybees when he struck an abandoned chicken coop where the hive was located. Family members said that every inch of exposed skin on Goodwin's body was covered with bee stings, according to NBC News.

Goodwin was able to get off of the tractor and run about 50 yards away to the nearest house to turn a hose on himself in an effort to get the bees off of him. An unidentified woman tried to help Goodwin and was stung over 100 times and taken to a hospital in serious condition, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Africanized honeybees are a hybrid of the Western honeybee and the African honeybee. They are feared because they have a tendency to be far more aggressive than regular honeybees. Their tactic of swarming their prey in the thousands has earned them the nickname of "killer bees," according to NBC News.

McClennon County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Matt Cawthon spoke to the Waco Tribune-Herald about the danger of Africanized bees.

"We need to let people know these bees are in the area and tell children in particular not to disturb or irritate the hives," Cawthon said.

Allen Miller, owner of Bees Be Gone, responded to the scene in order to exterminate the bees and remove what was left of the hive. The hive was massive and contained 22 honeycombs and approximately 40,000 bees.

"You can't believe how bad they are. They make me want to get out of this business," Miller said in an interview with the Waco Tribune-Herald. They can get up under your clothes where no other insect can go. In a hive of ordinary European bees, about 10 percent will attack if the hive is threatened, but with African bees, all of them attack you."

Federal authorities say that few than a dozen people have been killed in the U.S. from the Africanized bees since their arrival in the country 15 years ago, according to NBC News.

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