China goes to war with the killer giant hornets that have claimed 42 lives already

Chinese authorities have sent exterminators to Shaanxi province

Cities have been terrorised for three months by giant insects

There have been 42 deaths and 1,600 have been left with bullet-like wounds

Species is already in France and could spread to Britain

Chinese officials are fighting back against giant hornets which have killed 42 people and left 1,600 injured.

In China's northern Shaanxi province, whole cities have been terrorised by the world's largest hornet which has started attacking people.

Now government officials have started fighting fire with fire - literally - by burning and gassing the thumb-sized bugs out of their hives.



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This huge hornet nest - filled with white eggs - was cleared by specialists in Ankang, Shaanxi province, as China fights back against the predatory insects which have killed 42 people so far this year

September and October are breeding season for the creatures, meaning they are more active than usual

Government workers wearing protective clothing are using every means at their disposal, including fire, to get rid of the killer bugs which have been attacking cities in northern China

Workers wearing protective clothing have moved in to eradicate the nightmare insects before any more people are injured.

Horrific pictures have emerged of wounds the size of bullet holes left in the arms of victims after being stung.

Over the past three months the cities of Angkang, Hanzhong and Shangluo have been worst affected.

Experts have suggested the high number of attacks this year could be down to a growth in habitat or unusually warm weather making the hornets more agitated

One specialist wearing a protective suit is attacked by a swarm while trying to eradicate the hornets which victims say can chase people for up to 600ft after attacking

Firefighters and residents had been left to battle the bugs alone but now the government has sent in special eradication teams One victim told local media that 'the more you run, the more they want to chase you' and some victims described being chased about 200 metres (656 feet) by the deadly insects.

Authorities have mobilised a special medic team and trained more medical personnel to treat victims.

The insects' highly toxic stings can lead to anaphylactic shock and renal failure.

One of the victims, named only as Mu, said she has spent two months in a hospital undergoing 13 dialysis treatments.



Until government specialists arrived today locals have had to tackle the wasps themselves

With no protective clothing, brave residents have used whatever means they can to exterminate the pests The aggressive animals will feed on honeybees, severing their heads, wings and legs before carrying the body back to their young

She has 200 stitches, but still cannot move her legs.



She told Xinhua, the Chinese state-run news agency: '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.'

Attacks on humans are rare and specialists are unable to fully explain why this year has seen so many more cases.

Theories include increased plant growth boosting the number of the insects, and unusually warm weather making the creatures more agitated.

Victims of the hornets have been left with bullet-hole sized wounds in their arms and legs

The poison in the stings can lead to anaphylactic shock and kidney failure at high doses

September and October is the breeding season for the big bugs, meaning now is when they are most active.

The insects are an aggressive and predatory animal, however, and will send out scouts to look for honeybee hives for them to colonise.



When one is found the scout will leave a pheromone trail which other hornets will then follow, before using their jaws to decapitate the bees.

After slaughtering thousands of the much smaller creatures, the hornets will then take over the nest for themselves.

The species has already spread to France and fears are growing that giant Asian hornets are headed for Britain.

The thumb-sized insects have been attacking people and experts struggle to explain why

There are fears the insects could head to Britain after spreading to France in 2004 in a delivery of pottery

The hornets use their powerful sting, jaws, and superior size to kill up to 30,000 bees an hour

The deadly species are four times the size of British honeybees and have been known to wipe out entire hives as they look to claim the nest as their own

The species is four times the size of our native honeybees which are already struggling due to a mysterious syndrome which wipes out entire nests.



The dark invaders with yellow feet are thought to have arrive in France in a delivery of Chinese pottery from the Far East in late 2004.



The insects have colonised huge swathes of France, spreading along waterways, and with a few hornets capable of destroying 30,000 bees in a couple of hours, honey production has plummeted.



It has so far colonised 39 of France’s 100 administrative departments.



