Hornets: Safe (Picture: Getty)

The web was abuzz today with the apparent news that a man in Sweden had died after trying to have sex with a nest of hornets.

Reports circulated across the world of a man so bloated that his body was mistaken for a whale carcass.

The 35-year-old, apparently known only as Hasse, was said to have been found unconscious next to his farm in Ystad, Sweden.

A neighbour was quoted as saying Hasse looked like a beached whale due to the inflammation caused by hundreds of stings.


However, it now appears as though the story was too good to be true, albeit not for the unfortunate Hasse, as he is said to not even exist.



The original source for the story has now been traced to a satirical website in Sweden, which reported the stinging tale back in September, 2012.

It was originally reported animal rights campaigners were concerned about the wellbeing of the hornets, but we are now fairly sure no hornets (or men called Hasse) were harmed in the making of this story.

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