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LequteMan
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Swarms of aggressive hornets, in their fall mating season, are inflicting a deadly toll in a central Chinese province.
According to CNN, the local government in Shaanxi province says hornets have killed 42 people and injured 1,675 people in three cities the province since July and that thirty-seven patients remain in critical or serious condition.
Over the summer and early fall, hornets have invaded schools full of children and descended upon unsuspecting farm workers in China.
Mu Conghui, a victim who was attacked in Ankang City while looking after her millet crop speaking with Xinhua said “the hornets were horrifying. They hit right at my head and covered my legs. All of a sudden I was stung and I couldn't move.”
"Even now, my legs are covered with sting holes."
Two months, 13 dialysis treatments and 200 stitches later, Mu still remains hospitalized and unable to move her legs.
The influx of venom to the human body can cause allergic reactions and multiple organ failure leading to death. Patients like Mu have been receiving dialysis to remove the toxins from her body.
One victim told local media earlier this month that "the more you run, the more they want to chase you." Some victims described being chased about 200 meters (656 feet) by a swarm.
Government authorities say these attacks are from a particularly venomous species, the world's largest hornet, known as the Asian giant hornet or vespa mandarinia.
According to an animal database at the University of Michigan, giant hornets are about 3.5 to 3.9 centimeters long, roughly the size of a human thumb. It has an orange head with a black tooth used for burrowing.
