Amateur beekeeper dies after being stung without his helmet on

A hobbyist beekeeper died after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting, an inquest heard.

Alan Ransom, 55, went into anaphylactic shock and died after being stung on his ear while handling the insects.

The inquest heard that the amateur beekeeper was not wearing his beekeeper’s hat at the time of his death.

Civil engineer Ransom, from Godshill on the Isle of Wight, died from brain injuries caused by a lack of oxygen following an anaphylactic shock.

Ransom died on May 15, 2024, at St Mary’s Hospital on the island, after developing a severe reaction to his bee sting, coroner Caroline Sumeray found.

The medical cause of death was recorded as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, caused by anaphylactic shock as a reaction to a bee sting.

Ransom, who described himself as a hobbyist beekeeper, kept bees at Marvel Solar Farm Aviary on the Isle of Wight, where he had several active hives.

He had around six years’ experience keeping bees at the time of his death and typically produced around 40 jars of honey each year.

Ransom also ran a YouTube channel under the name ‘The Vectis Bee Man’, where he shared videos about beekeeping.

In 2023, he rehomed a swarm of around 2,000 bees that had settled in the car park at Island Roads’s HQ in Newport, Isle of Wight.

He worked for the highway maintenance company as a civil engineer.

Ransom safely transported the car park swarm to one of his hives at Marvel Solar Farm.

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