Beekeepers in the central Turkish province of Tokat face a dire threat to their existence: Japanese hornets. Hornets attacked 1,500 hives in the past two months and killed about 12 million bees. Beekeepers pleaded with the authorities to find a solution to the problem.

Hornets endemic to eastern Asia are prevalent in Tokat's Almus and Turhal districts. Ali Demir, head of the Tokat Beekeepers' Union said it is a serious problem. "We have 470 members and every member reported losing at least five hives. We found out Japanese hornets were responsible for this. This is a small animal, about 3 centimeters long, but it is capable of killing up to 20 bees in one minute. It is very dangerous. Forty hornets, for example, can completely destroy a hive in four hours," he said.

Demir added that authorities were still working on a solution on how to fight the hornets. Demir said that Japanese hornets were sighted in the past years as well but weren't a serious threat as their number was low. "Their number multiplied this year," he said, noting that hornets were also rumored to have been sighted in Sivas, another central province. Hornets emerge more often at times of drought, beekeepers say. Currently, beekeepers have a loss of about TL 600,000 ($99,600) due to hornet attacks on their bees.Japanese hornets are known to target bees to feed their larvae.