Over 1,000 Wasp Stings Kill Two Children In China, Beekeeper Faces Charges

Two young siblings in Yunnan province, China, lost their lives after being stung hundreds of times by wasps, prompting authorities to charge a local beekeeper with negligent homicide,according to South China Morning Post.

The tragedy occurred on June 28 in Muding County when a seven-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister were attacked while playing near pine woods. Their grandmother, who was caring for them, tried to rescue both children but was also stung.

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The girl suffered more than 700 stings and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her brother, stung over 300 times, was taken to the hospital but died the following day. Their father described that the children were stung across their entire bodies, with no part spared, as per the SCMP.

Local authorities identified the insects as yellow-legged hornets (Vespa velutina nigrithorax). The hornets were being raised by a farmer surnamed Li, who admitted to farming them for their chrysalises, considered a local delicacy. He provided the grieving family with 40,000 yuan in compensation but said he had no further means.

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Investigators found that Li had been farming hornets for two years without reporting the species to the forestry department, as required by law. He was briefly detained, released on bail, and later exterminated all his hornets following the tragedy.

Authorities have since banned the farming of yellow-legged hornets and launched inspections of all beekeeping operations in the region.