EL PASO, Texas -- A bee swarm attacked several people in San Elizario, and all of them are treated for bee stings. Fire officials and deputies said the driver of a tractor-trailer unintentionally disturbed a bee hive in the canal as he cleared it from weeds and has been stung more than 200 times.

Justin Otton, 35, who is employed by the El Paso County Water Improvement District, was clearing the weeds along the canal that runs parallel with Camino De La Rosa when he was attacked by the swarm of bees, said deputies

The bees were able to attack Otton because his windows were down while he was operating a tractor. They entered the driver compartment and began stinging him. Otton tried to run away from them and ran into the street.

"One vehicle, we're not sure why they stopped. We assume they were trying to help the driver of bulldozer. They were chased off by the bees, they couldn't get back in their vehicle," said Anthony Lopez, a firefighter with the San Elizario Volunteer Fire Department

The driver of the tractor, Otton, took himself to the hospital while Martin Chavez, 43, and Josue Chavez, 18, were treated on the scene by Life Ambulance. Hospital staff told deputies they estimated Otton had been stung approximately 200 to 300 times in the head, neck, face and hands. He remains in stable condition.

One bee sting isn't that bad unless you're allergic. If you have an allergic reaction, the body starts to overcompensate for the poison that is introduced into the system and you begin to go into what we call anaflectic shock, which can be positively fatal," said Lopez.

The bees had to be exterminated because they were creating a public hazard. Firefighters used foam to disperse the bees.

"In the circumstances in which we had the hive and the actual swarm, they can give up to 200 bee stings per swarm," said Lopez.

Experts say it is not a good idea to swat the bees away, they say to move away from them quickly to avoid an attack. Bees and other stinging insects are responsible for about 30 deaths a year in the United States.