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An 85-year-old man in east Austin, Texas, was stung as many as 500 times by a swarm of bees while mowing his lawn in August 2010 and was hospitalized in critical condition, according to authorities and news accounts from the scene.

The man, identified by Fox's Austin affiliate, MyFoxAustin.com, as Willard Duncan, was attacked while working in his yard. A neighbor who witnessed the attack called 911, and firefighters arrived wearing protective suits.

Firefighters sprayed the bees with foam to weigh them down so they could reach Duncan, but the insects then turned on the responding crews, stinging several firefighters and a medic, United Press International reported, citing the Austin American-Statesman.

When paramedics reached Duncan, he had stings across his face, neck and torso. He was conscious but in critical condition as he was taken to a hospital, and he was later listed in stable condition, the Statesman reported. "He received a significant amount of stings," Pete Didonato, a spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service, told the newspaper.

Bee specialists called to the scene initially suspected Duncan had disturbed a hive while mowing, but a search of the property turned up no nest. Austin beekeeper Brandon Fehrenkam, summoned to help gather the insects, said he was not aware of any hive in the area and could not explain where the bees had come from.

Officials said it was not immediately known whether the insects were Africanized honeybees, popularly known as "killer bees." Police briefly closed streets near the scene before reopening them.