A rare spate of hornet attacks have claimed the lives of 41 people in China since July.

More than 1,600 people have been injured by hornet stings in Shaanxi province, according to China News Agency.

It was reported that 206 people are still being treated in hospital, with 37 patients in critical condition.

Local officials said that drier and warmer weather this year may have contributed to a rise in hornet numbers in the area.

Environmental activists have also blamed rapid urbanization for the worsening problem. The cities of Ankang, Hanzhong, and Shangluo have been the worst affected over the last three months. The provincial government has dispatched pest control experts to control the situation.

China News Agency says local police and firemen have been given equipment and protective clothes to help remove and destroy hornet nests.

A city government official in Ankang, Zhao Fang, told the China Daily that hornet attacks had increased in recent years as the "local ecological environment improved".

The hornets behind the deadly attacks appear to be the Asian giant hornet; the Vespa mandarinia, which can grow up to 5am long, with a 6mm sting.