WAYNE (AP) — What started as a routine response for a Maine tow truck driver ended with a trip to the hospital after he was swarmed by thousands of honeybees.

Jason Small, a driver for Don’s No Preference Towing, got a call Wednesday to tow a truck from the Wayne fire station parking lot.

He wasn’t told the truck was hauling bees.

As he hooked up the vehicle, the bees swarmed. He was stung on the arm and jumped in his truck’s cab. He told the Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/1qgIHHz ) his arm went numb, he momentarily lost vision, and began to “sweat like crazy.”

He was treated at the hospital but returned to work later Wednesday.

Fire Chief Bruce Mercier says most of the bees had been removed from the truck, but some were left behind.