Woman left with swollen leg and bone fractures after being stung by giant hornet

A woman was left in excruciating pain after being stung by a giant hornet outside her home in London.

Hannah, who is originally from Ireland, did not realise how bad the sting was until her leg “doubled in size”.

She turned to TikTok and asked viewers if they could identify the insect for her.

In the video, she holds up a small glass tube where a huge hornet – with distinctive yellow and black lines in the body – is seen moving its legs.

The 22-year-old wrote: “Does anyone in the UK know what this is?

“I got bitten and it doesn’t look good. Big wasp bite?”

Did you see any hornets in your area? Let us know in the comments.

She shows the wound near her ankle and it soon becomes clear that the surrounding area has turned purple.

Many viewers were horrified and urged Hannah to rush to the hospital.

“Get to a hospital…now! That’s a giant hornet, one of the most aggressive, dangerous, venomous insects out there,” one warned.

Another wrote: “It’s a hornet but you should may get that checked. It looks similar to an allergic reaction.”

In an update video, Hannah visits a hospital where the doctor shows her an X-ray, confirming that she had a fracture in her leg.

The doctor put on a cast on her left leg but in an interview with Daily Star, she said the swelling went so bad that it even “broke” the cast.

Hannah recalled the incident on July 4 as she told the site: “I fell asleep outside and woke up to a sharp pain.

“I shouted and one of my housemates caught it [the hornet].”

She left the wound untreated for a couple of days hoping that it would get better, but the swelling did not stop and she had to go to the A&E.

“I thought it would just be infected but they said the swelling was so bad that it gave me a spiral fracture in my fibula,” the young woman continued.

“I’m now in my second cast because the swelling kept going and the first one broke.

“I’m using a wheelchair to get around, which helps, but I have to take injections in my stomach every single day to stop clotting.”

Now nearly two weeks after the incident, Hannah said she is starting to get better but still can’t put any weight on the leg.

The hornet is an effective predator of insects, and has caused significant losses to honey bee colonies.

You’re more likely to spot them during the summer months, and according to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), there have already been 17 sightings in the UK.

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