Charlie Smith
A TRUCK driver has died slowly and painfully after being stung by an insect species, which is expanding to southern Spain.
Miguel Alvarez Calvin, 32, who was allergic to the Asiatic wasp died at his farm in Asturias on Sunday.
The married father-of-one had acquired a tyre that contained a nest full of the invasive creatures.
He was aware of his allergy, and after being stung injected himself with adrenaline in a bid to save his own life.
However, after being rushed to the Central University Hospital of Asturias, doctors were unable to keep him alive.
The sting from the animal – scientifically named velutina vespa – slowly shrank the man’s brain capacity, according to his brother.
He had used adrenaline during three previous incidents, after which his brother said, ‘he got dizzy for a while and recovered’.
Calvin is the second in Spain to die in less than 12 months from the wasps, after a 44-year-old man in Lugo was killed by a sting in July.
The insects first colonised the northern region of Galicia after arriving from China, then moved into the Basque Country, Cantabria and Portugal.
There have also been sightings in Burgos, Valladolid, Salamanca and Catalunya, as the wasps are moving towards the Costa del Sol.
The wasps will conquer Spain from north to south, according to insect expert Marcos Negrete, who said, ‘they travel 40 kilometers a year’.
Currently, the Government does not have extensive plans to eradicate the pests, which are not lethal unless you are allergic, although stings are very painful.
The insects are a danger to the ecosystem and bees, their only natural predator being the honey buzzard.
“They are very carnivorous and have a lot of direct impact on the hives,” added Negrete.
Methods to get rid of the wasps include burning the hives, using biocide, firecrackers and trapping.
