Man Swarmed by Hundreds of Deadly 'Murder Hornets' in Horrifying Video

Hundreds of "murder hornets" swarming a man have been branded "hell," as people compared them to the stuff of "nightmares."

A TikTok account, called Cestbonyi, has shared multiple videos showing nests of Asian giant hornet, otherwise known as the "murder hornets" or "sparrow hornets."

The deadly insects, which have been known to kill humans, partially cover a man, wearing a thick suit to prevent getting stung.

"It's a good thing that my biotech suit protects me," he captioned one of the videos, which has amassed more than 50 million views on the social media site.

The account also shares videos of traditional honeybees, but it's the giant insects that are causing a stir, with the distinct buzz from the swarm clearly audible as the insects crawl all over the camera.

Other videos showing similarly nightmarish scenes have racked up 24 million views, with the latest clip, uploaded on Wednesday, already attracting thousands of viewers.

TikTok added a warning to one video, showing two men in identical suits, saying: "The action in this video could result in serious injury."

While it's not clear where they're filming, people from all over the world have recoiled in horror at the sight, comparing the hornets to a "plague."

Artblan asked "are those murder hornets?" while James Rico stated: "Those are not bees."

Byron Hampton joked: "It's all fun and games till one of them finds a zipper."

Echoing that, Can admitted: "I still wouldn't feel safe."

Cal Kestis pointed out: "I love how they all know to swarm the head."

Michael Ebel confessed: "That's my biggest fear."

While Dave Spook exclaimed: "Jesus Christ what did I just see, those better be small birds."

David Parker called it the "the stuff of nightmares," Wisp said "this is scary as hell," while another user added: "One of the ten plagues."

Akito Y. Kawahara, associate curator of Lepidoptera at the Florida Museum of Natural History, confirmed to Newsweek the species in the video were most likely sparrow hornets.

He warned against using their nickname, the "murder hornets," as it could fuel public misconception over the insects.

Commenting on the videos, he said: "The species is likely the sparrow hornet (we shouldn't call the species murder hornet anymore as it is misleading and adds unnecessary fear to the public). There is a strong push from the entomology community about the use of 'Asian Giant Hornet' or 'Murder Hornet' because of the possible implications these names have."

Shedding light on where the footage could have originated, he continued: "I'm almost certain it is in Asia where they are common. I don't think this is farming, although it can be, as sparrow hornets are often included in strong alcohol for their medicinal benefits. And no, these are wasps, not bees. They don't produce honey but provide other benefits like pest removal in agricultural lands and medicinal benefits directly as noted above.

"When insects are declining so rapidly in the world, the public perception of insects should not be all negative. These hornets are quite important to the environment (controlling pests, etc.) and we shouldn't forget that!"

Vespa mandarinia, the aforementioned Asian giant hornet or sparrow hornet, is the largest of its kind in the world, reaching two inches long. It was given its murderous nickname due to its beheading of bees, according to Scientific American.

Its sting has been described as "excruciating" by the website, with the insects responsible for between 30 and 50 deaths a year in Japan, National Geographic said.

The species is native to Asia, and is found as north as Russia and as south as Myanmar. But there was disbelief when sparrow hornets were found in the U.S. for the first time in 2019.

In August of that year, three hornets were first found in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, with wildlife officials subsequently locating and destroying a large nest.

A month later another hornet was spied 55 miles to the east, in Blaine, Washington, and there were several more sightings in the border regions of western British Columbia and Washington state.

In 2020 both regions confirmed more sightings, and the first hornet nest on U.S. soil—also in Blaine—was destroyed last year.