A TRAGIC amateur beekeeper died after suffering an allergic reaction to a bee sting, an inquest heard.
Alan Ransom was tending to the insects at home on the Isle of Wight when the tragedy unfolded.
The court was told Alan, 55, was not wearing a beekeeper hat when he was stung on the ear.
He was rushed to hospital after going into anaphylactic shock but sadly could not be saved and died on May 15, 2024.
His cause of death was given as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and anaphylactic shock as a reaction to a bee sting.
Recording a conclusion of misadventure, senior coroner Caroline Sumeray said Alan suffered a “bee sting on his left ear, after he failed to wear a beekeeper’s hat”.
The inquest was told Alan had worked as a civil engineer but described himself as a “hobbyist beekeper”.
He ran a YouTube channel under the name “The Vectis Beeman” and had around six years of experience.
On it, Alan said: “Follow my journey as I document my mistakes and my successes as I endeavour to progress from a complete newbie to a more experienced and rounded beekeeper.”
He kept bees at Marvel Solar Farm Aviary on the Isle of Wight, where he had several active hives.
In 2023, Alan 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.
Following Alan’s death, his devastated friends raised more than £1,500 for Cancer Research UK in his memory.
In tributes shared on the fundraiser, he was described as a “great man and a great friend” and a “kind and gentle soul”.
The Isle of Wight Beekeepers Association said at the time: “We are very sorry to hear of the recent death of one of our members.
“Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
