Two elderly people and a student have been killed after consecutive wasp attacks on the island of Java over the past two weeks.
The most recent incident happened on November 19 when four students, aged 11, attempted to destroy a wasp hive in West Java. The bees attacked violently to protect the hive, killing one victim with numerous stings on his body.
Two weeks earlier, wasps also burned down and killed two elderly people in the town of Klaten, in central Java province.
Attacks tend to escalate in the region, making “all clinics always ready to receive patients,” said Cahyo Widodo, chief of Klaten’s medical department.
Hundreds of people have been attacked by wasps over the past decade on the island of Java. Last year, seven people were killed in a collision with this dangerous insect.
A rescue team has been assembled to deal with cases of bees nesting and breeding in residential areas.
Wasps (Vespa) are found throughout Southeast Asia. Adults can reach 3 to 5.5 cm in length. They are known to be aggressive and attack humans.
The venom of this bee can cause severe allergies and failure of several organs, resulting in death.
