An amateur beekeeper died after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting on his ear, an inquest has heard.
Alan Ransom, 55, went into anaphylactic shock after being stung while not wearing his beekeeper’s hat.
Civil engineer Mr Ransom, from Godshill on the Isle of Wight, died from brain injuries caused by a lack of oxygen following the reaction.
A written inquest, held at the Isle of Wight Coroner’s Court, heard he passed away on May 15, 2024, at St Mary’s Hospital on the island.
Concluding his cause of death was ‘misadventure’, Coroner Caroline Sumeray said that Mr Ransom had the reaction after being stung on the left ear while beekeeping.
He was attending to his hives on May 10 when the incident occurred.
Emergency services, including the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance – rushed to the scene and Mr Ransom was transported to hospital, where he died five days later.
The medical cause of death was recorded as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, caused by anaphylactic shock as a reaction to a bee sting.
Mr 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 of experience keeping bees at the time of his death and typically produced around 40 jars of honey each year.
Mr Ransom also ran a YouTube channel under the name ‘The Vectis Bee Man’, where he shared videos about beekeeping.
He invited his followers to ‘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.’
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.
Mr Ransom, who was originally from Epsom, Surrey, safely transported the car park swarm to one of his hives at Marvel Solar Farm.
After his death, friends and family raised more than £1,500 for Cancer Research UK in his memory.
In tributes shared on the fundraiser, Mr Ransom 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’.
