China is abuzz with news of the Killer Hornets.  More than 1,600 people have been attacked by the monstrously big Vespa Mandarinia in central Shanxi Province, and at least 41 people have died of multiple stings.

These beasts often grow to five to six centimeters in length.  Their venom causes the body's tissue to breakdown and releases a toxin that attracts even more of the hornets, triggering them to join the attack. The Asian Giant Hornet can fly at 100 kilometers per hour, and can easily chase down anything it assumes is an enemy.  If the victim is unlucky, multiple stings leads to acute renal failure, which in at least 41 cases, led to death.

Environmental activists point to two problems.  Winters have been getting milder and summers hotter in Shaanxi, which created a more suitable breeding environment.  And rapid urbanization means humans have intruded deeper into the hornet’s territory, building their cities where the hornets build their nests.  The provincial government is dispatching experts to deal with the nests as they’re found.

Oh yeah, September and October are the hornets’ usual mating months, so they’re even more aggressive than usual.