Professor stung by hornets on Taiwan trail, temporarily loses consciousness

A professor from National Taiwan University and his wife encountered a swarm of hornets while hiking the popular Sandiaoling Trail in New Taipei City on June 20. The professor, Ding Zong-su, described being stung over a dozen times within seconds as he cleared obstructing palm leaves from the path. He recalled previous stings from bees and hornets, but this mass attack was unprecedented.

“

In less than 3 seconds, more than a dozen hornets stung me, from my scalp to my calves.

Within moments, Ding began to experience blurred vision and profuse sweating, losing consciousness for about 20 to 30 minutes. His wife called emergency services. After regaining awareness, he developed hives and experienced throat tightness, shortness of breath, nausea, and confusion. Rescuers arrived about 45 minutes later, and he received treatment at a hospital, recovering without further complications. He expressed gratitude to the various rescue and animal control units that assisted.

“

I gradually felt my vision blurring and my whole body sweating, and I even lost consciousness for about 20 to 30 minutes.

The New Taipei City Animal Protection and Disease Prevention Office stated that they had cordoned off the reported sting location and posted warning signs, advising the public to avoid the area. Initial searches failed to locate a nest, and officials plan to investigate again on Wednesday. The office noted that hornets are native wildlife and are generally not removed unless they pose a direct threat to public safety in populated areas.

“

I'm grateful for the assistance of the firefighters, search and rescue teams, and animal control.

To mitigate future risks, the Animal Protection Office has implemented a "Hornet Hotspot Map" and a "Hornet Hotspot Alert System" via Line Bot. This system warns users via their mobile phones if they are near known nesting areas, allowing for quicker reporting of suspected nests and potentially reducing sting incidents.

“

We have cordoned off the reported sting location and posted warning signs, reminding the public not to enter.