The great-grandfather took the attack in stride, and in fact, he's already joking about it.
"He's a remarkable man. He got bit all over his neck and his arms and in his eyes," said his daughter, Louise Todero. "He's doing fine, and he's still lucky to be here."
Outside his home near the attack, warnings were posted. Dead bees littered the ground.
Authorities said Louis Todero was out for his daily walk as a fumigator was spraying a massive hive inside the roof siding at an apartment building on the 1700 block of Ruxton Lane on Wednesday at about 2:50 p.m.
"They tried to warn him, 'Don't come, don't come,' and I don't think he heard them even though he did have his hearing aids in," Louise Todero said. "I guess he just walked right into it."
Redondo Beach Police Sgt. Phil Keenan said when the fumigator tried to get poison into the hive, the bees were aggravated, and thousands of bees came pouring out.
"They pounced on him, and he was stung upwards of 400 to 600 times," Keenan said.
Firefighters who came to the aid of the man were also attacked by the bees, but they were not stung.
Given their aggressive and vicious nature, police believe the bees were Africanized honeybees, but they are waiting on Vector Control to confirm.
Todero is recovering in the hospital, where he was listed in good condition.
His daughter said despite the discomfort, he can now laugh about his painful encounter.
The fumigator will give it a second try on Thursday night but this time with police help. Neighbors in the area will be alerted, and streets will be shut down.
