Tourists are frequently stung by hornets while hiking; experts say hornets are actually beneficial insects.
“The hornets on the mountain are so aggressive, they chased and stung me.” Recently, several citizens reported to our reporter that during autumn outdoor hiking trips, many people were stung by hornets, with bites mostly concentrated on the head, hands, and other exposed parts of the body. In addition, some residents noted an increase in hornet activity in residential areas and urban parks.
Ms. Qiu, a volunteer from a street in Liwan District, recently encountered a distressing situation while organizing a hiking trip to Baiyun Mountain for elderly residents. According to Ms. Qiu, everyone was in high spirits that day, and she was carrying belongings for the seniors and watching over them from behind. As they passed by a patch of grass, she suddenly felt a sharp pain on the top of her head. That’s when she noticed hornets flying nearby and realized she might have been stung.
“I kept walking for a short while, but then started feeling nauseous and dizzy.” Her colleagues immediately contacted the staff on Baiyun Mountain, who sent her to a nearby hospital for treatment. After negotiating with the Baiyun Mountain management, they agreed to cover all of Ms. Qiu’s medical expenses.
Last weekend, Mr. Chen and his friends were hiking up Huolu Mountain. When they reached the halfway point, Mr. Chen suddenly felt a sting on his shoulder. Turning around quickly, he saw several large yellow hornets flying around and noticed what appeared to be a hornet nest in a nearby bush. Mr. Chen and his friends immediately ran downhill. By the time they reached the base, his shoulder was already swollen and painful. After disinfecting the area at a nearby community clinic, he continued to experience pain and itching for several days.
Recently, a reporter interviewing near Maofeng Mountain in Baiyun District was told by villagers that with the increase in hikers recently, several people had been stung by hornets. “Now we try to avoid areas with trees and thorny bushes on the mountain—it’s easy to run into hornets there.”
Hornets are not only a problem in the wild mountains but also in urban residential areas and parks. Mr. Hu from a residential community near Panyu Avenue said that a while back, while hanging clothes on his balcony, he spotted several large hornets flying around near the air conditioner vent. After having someone take a look, they discovered a hornet nest about the size of an egg in the process of being built. Mr. Hu immediately called friends to burn it off. “After that, the hornets flew around for a while before finally leaving.”
A resident of Phoenix City recently found a hornet nest more than 10 meters high on a magnolia tree near their home. Worried about children being stung, they called firefighters from a nearby fire station, who spent 45 minutes removing the nest.
Recently, tourists reported seeing many wild bees flying around in the bushes near the amusement area of Guangzhou Zoo. One tourist mentioned encountering similar hornets while visiting Yuexiu Park.
Experts:
Call the fire department if you find a hornet nest
Washing the wound with soapy water is not very effective
“It’s a common misconception that hornets only become numerous in autumn,” explained Professor Xu Zaifu from the Entomology Department at South China Agricultural University in an interview with our reporter yesterday. “In fact, hornets start building nests as early as May each year, and reproduce heavily during June, July, and August. There are plenty of hornets in the wild during those months, but because of the hot weather and dense vegetation, people generally have fewer encounters with them.” According to Professor Xu, in autumn, as plants wither and leaves fall, and as it is also the season when fruits ripen, more people go hiking and fruit picking, significantly increasing the chances of encountering hornets.
Professor Xu also noted that due to the large amount of garbage, rotting fruit, and small insects in cities, hornets—being omnivorous insects—are gradually being attracted to urban areas. If a hornet nest is located in a remote spot, it usually doesn’t need to be disturbed. “They eat caterpillars, so they’re actually beneficial insects.”
He added that hornets build nests primarily to hatch their larvae. Generally, after winter, once the eggs have hatched and the larvae have grown, the hornets abandon the old nest and won’t return. “If a nest is indeed built under the eaves of a house and poses a threat to nearby residents, the best solution is to ask professional firefighters to handle it,” said Professor Xu. Alternatives include burning the nest, using insecticide, or wearing a thick raincoat and using a plastic bag to remove it.
Professor Xu explained that hornets, yellow jackets, and wasps are all of the same category and can be aggressive toward humans, but wild bees are not, so people don’t need to be afraid of them even if they look intimidating. “Mosquitoes bite with their mouths, while hornets sting with their tails—but the principle is the same,” he said. Many people believe that hornets leave behind a stinger after stinging, but that’s not true. “They inject venom the same way.” He added that generally, severe reactions only occur when a person is stung by multiple hornets, has an allergic constitution, or is a child. “In such cases, it’s best to seek medical treatment. The online advice to wash the sting with soapy water isn’t very effective—it’s more of a psychological placebo.”