Isle of Wight beekeeper died from sting while not wearing protective hat

An amateur beekeeper died of anaphylactic shock after a sting when he was not wearing a protective hat, according to a coroner.

Senior coroner Caroline Sumeray said Alan Ransom, of Godshill on the Isle of Wight, died in May 2024 at the island’s St Mary’s Hospital.

Ms Sumeray ruled that the 55-year-old, born in Epsom, Surrey, died after “developing an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting on his left ear, after he failed to wear a beekeeper’s hat”.

She recorded a conclusion of misadventure.

Mr Ransom, a civil engineer, had run a YouTube channel since July 2022 under the name The Vectis Bee Man, describing himself as a “hobbyist beekeeper”.

He was documenting “my mistakes and my successes as I endeavour to progress from a complete newbie to a more experienced and rounded beekeeper”, according to the channel description.