An Alamo family is grieving the loss of a son, father and brother.

Adrian De La Rosa, 47, died after he was attacked by a swarm of bees on Jan. 9 near Santa Rosa while he was trimming trees.

“This is something that you see in movies and you don't think that it's going to happen to your loved one,” Angela Salinas, Adrian’s sister, said.

Salinas said her sister-in-law was the person who told her about the death.

“At that moment, my blood just dropped. My heart just plummeted,” Salinas said. 

According to Salinas, Adrian was one of nine siblings, and her family was already grieving when he died. 

“We're all just trying to stay as strong as we possibly can for my parents because this is the fourth child that they lost within seven years,” Salinas said.

Two of her siblings died from COVID-19, and one died in a car accident, Salinas said.

Salinas said Adrian became a tree trimmer nine years ago, and he never thought of it as a dangerous job.

“He never said, ‘hey, I'm afraid of going to work.’ If anything he was happy to go,” Salinas said. “He would wake up super early to go into work.”

Jimmy Lawrence, owner and operator of The Bee Guy RGV, said bee attacks are becoming more common in the Rio Grande Valley.

“They'll build up honeycombs, they'll have eggs, they'll have larvae, and they’ll have resources that they want to protect. And once they have the numbers to protect those resources, they will,” Lawrence said. “I always suggest, at first sight of seeing bees, don't try to spray anything on them.”

Lawrence warns that once an attack starts, it can't be stopped quickly. But there are ways to be safe.

“If you do find yourself in a position that you're being attacked, the best thing you can do is run into your vehicle,” Lawrence said. “Make sure that the windows are all rolled up and turn the AC on. Bees are very sensitive to temperature changes.”

Lawrence said he believes Adrian was attacked by Africanized bees, which he says can become extremely aggressive in colder temperatures.

Salinas said the family is now supporting one another during this difficult time.  Adrian leaves behind two children.

“He loved his children so much,” Salinas said. “He was like that dad that you see on TV that is that perfect father, and that's what he was to his children."

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