A brave exterminator tackles swarms of ferocious hornets for a living in Thailand.

Nitipong Boonnet, from the eastern province of Chonburi, helps locals terrorised by the insects by destroying their hives - earning a decent income along the way.

Donning boots and his beekeper suit for protection, the wasp killer sniffs out the Vespa tropica nests then mercilessly hacks them to shreds before dispatching the swarms' precious larvae, unfazed by the bug armies divebombing him.

Nitipong said he began this career around four years ago, when he was asked by a friend to remove a hornets' nest.

At the time, he was still inexperienced and ended up bedridden with a fever after being stung by the angry swarm.

Today, he charges 300 to 500 baht (8 to 14 USD) for his services, depending on the difficulty of the removal.

He said: 'To be honest, I was afraid of them as well. But what can I do? This job is really profitable.'

Vespa tropica, or greater banded hornets, are a species of invasive hornet found in southern Asia, west Africa, and New Guinea. They can deliver painful stings, and prey on the larvae of other wasps whose nests they raid.