PEORIA, Ariz. -- A construction worker who suffered 500 stings in a bee attack Tuesday was released from the hospital and is doing fine, his father told CBS 5.

The worker was clearing land for a development near Thunderbird Road and the Loop 101 when his machine unearthed a bee hive under a pile of concrete rubble.

The bees swarmed up and stormed the man.

"This was as serious as it gets. He was covered with bees, unable to get back to his feet," said Peoria Fire Capt. Bob Groholski.

Groholski estimated the number of bees in the thousands based on the size of the hive his crews found in the rocks.

Firefighters used a hose to shoot foam at the bees, killing the insects that had coated the worker with hundreds of stings.

The construction worker was hospitalized in serious condition.

Tuesday's incident was the first major bee attack since October, when a swarm of 100,000 bees attacked six people, including four children, in Glendale.

In September, a group of Border Patrol Agents and illegal immigrants was attacked by a swarm of bees in the Huachuca Mountains near the U.S.-Mexico border. One of the agents and three of the immigrants required treatment.

"Best advice if you're getting stung is to cover your mouth and face and seek an area of refuge," Groholski said.

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