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[water sloshing]

Ted mcfall (voiceover):
It's tough to look

At anything in
creation and say, oh,

Yeah, that is an evil creature.

However, something in god's plan
is not correct in this matter.

Whenever we find them,
we have to kill them.

We cannot tolerate or risk
having more of them around.

This creature must
be eradicated.

If we fail at this,
and it spreads,

Then you can expect catastrophic
problems with the honeybees.

[music playing]

One of my favorite screen movies
is the movie "the exorcist."

If you watch that
movie, you'll hear

The bees buzzing at the
very beginning of the movie.

And it's supposed to be a scary,
intimidating kind of a noise.

But whenever I hear that sound,
I think of something very nice

And something very pleasant.

As a little boy, I
didn't really understand

The importance of honeybees.

I just knew that my family
needed the honeybees.

And my dad did
everything he could

To take care of honeybees.

And in elementary school, there
was a big field of clover.

And there were always
bees pollinating

That big field of clover.

And some of the other kids would
run around that clover field,

And stomp on the bees,
and kill the honeybees.

I remember thinking, I wonder
if that's my family's bees.

I wonder if those are the
bees that make us honey.

Because even then, I had a
certain connection to the hives

That we had and the
creatures that we

Were entrusted to take care of.

A good beekeeper always
has to be aware of what's

Going on with their hives.

Because you never know if a
tree is going to fall on a hive,

Or if a lightning
bolt's going to hit it,

Or some vandal's going
to get to the hive.

And I just went to go
do a regular inspection

Just to make sure
that everything

Was ready for a long winter.

As I approached the
hive, I look down,

And there were thousands of
bees that had been slaughtered.

I was just praying
to god that once

I opened the hive, that I would
find the queen still alive.

But as soon as I open up
that lid, and I peered in,

All hope was gone at that point.

60,000 of my honeybees had
their heads chopped off.

It's kind of like finding
a family pet, or maybe even

A family member that got killed,
and you have no idea who did,

Or what did it, or
what the heck happened.

You just get that bad feeling
in the pit of your stomach

That something
terrible has happened.

I called my wife dorothy,
and I was like, hey, dorothy,

You're not going
to believe this.

We just lost a whole colony.

And she said, what?

What happened?

The first thing that anyone says
whenever something bad happens

Is, well, what happened?

If someone dies--
oh, what happened?

Or if someone breaks
an arm-- what happened?

Well, that's exactly
what she said.

What happened?

I'm juggling kids,
and then hearing this.

And at the time, I was pregnant.

So it was stressful.

It was a stressful call.

She could not believe it.

Her jaw was dropped.

And I'll never forget.

She took her hand,
and she kind of

Raked it through the bee bodies,
just looking at it, real quiet.

And actually, I shouldn't get
choked up about silly bees.

Well, I guess to us, it's
not silly bees, right?

Hang on a second.

Had to compose myself.

If I had a chalk, and you did
the little outline of a scene,

You could easily do
it around our bees.

And it's a murder scene.

I had a lot of
theories in my mind.

I thought maybe someone
came in, and gassed my bees,

And then decided to cut their
heads off, some satanic cult.

At that point, who knows?

When something
mysterious happens,

Anything is a possibility
at that point.

It's just a helpless feeling.

Because I know how to
take care of my bees.

I know how to keep my
bees strong, healthy.

And I take care of
my bees, and my bees

Take care of our family.

And that's what I do.

Come on, conrad.

Come on.

Good boy.

It was just a regular
morning, like any other,

Taking the dog out for a walk.

I looked down, and
I spotted a hornet

Laying here on the concrete.

It was the biggest hornet I'd
ever seen in my entire life.

It had its stinger sticking
out, and it was a big stinger.

I grabbed my phone and
took a few pictures.

My wife recommended that
I posted him on reddit,

So I found this subreddit--

What'sthisbug.

Not long after that,
I got a reply saying,

You should save the
wasp and report it

To your local department of
agriculture and the washington

Invasive species council.

Jessica labelle: In
December of last year,

A local resident noticed a dead,
large, upsetting-looking insect

Outside his home.

It was reported to washington
invasive species council,

Who then moved it over to us.

Sven went out to investigate
and confirmed that it was

Indeed an asian giant hornet.

[shutter clicking]

It was actually shocking.

It looked like a child's
toy because they're

So much larger than the other
hornets that we deal with.

My heart sank, because
I was like, crap,

That's not a yellowjacket.

I knew zero-- zero--

About giant hornets
before last December.

Sven-erik spichiger: We'd spent
the entire holidays of 2019

Reading research paper
after research paper,

Regarding its behaviors,
if it has any weaknesses.

Turns out, it really doesn't.

It's an apex predator, and
nothing really bothers it.

We knew it was a big deal
just because of how it can prey

On managed honeybee hives
and how detrimental that

Would be for our agriculture.

And we sent out pest alerts
on asian giant hornet

To everyone who keeps
bees in washington.

And that's when the mcfall bee
kill came to our attention too.

What happened to ted
mcfall is what we

Worry about for all beekeepers.

Teddy lives about
six miles from me.

And so I was extremely
concerned that,

Yes, they are in my backyard.

And I don't think
it's ok to say, let

Somebody else take care of it.

Ruthie danielsen,
she's a beekeeper,

And she contacted us
early on and said,

I am setting up an asian
giant hornet task force.

Washington state department
of agriculture pest program

Is a couple entomologists.

And this year is
the year of covid.

So funding for these
programs is extremely lean.

And it's really hard to work
with a government agency.

There's liabilities,
and there's usually so

Many regulations that say no.

And so what can
I do, personally,

So that I can feel good
that I did everything

I could to protect
my bees and protect,

Actually, north america?

I am fascinated by insects.

There's this tiny
part of our world

That can have outsized impacts.

Here's a little invasive species
showing up for the first time.

And as you start doing the
reporting to figure out where

The impact is, and
you're like, oh, wow,

Here's someone that lost
a whole colony of bees.

And there was a bit of a
mystery to the whole thing.

And then as I was
reporting this story,

I kept coming across
these various nicknames,

A whole bunch of nicknames.

And the one that
really stood out to me

Was the yak killer hornet.

Where did that come from?

Did one of these hornets
kill some famous yak

Somewhere along the way?

I was just trying
to track that down

And contacted this researcher
in japan who had worked

With these hornets a lot.

And I was asking,
like, do you know where

This yak killer name came from?

And he came back with,
actually, I haven't even

Heard that nickname.

Around here, they just
call it the murder hornet.

Ok, well, that's-- I guess we
can just go with that nickname.

Reporter: "the new
york times" reports

Deadly hornets in
parts of the us,

And they're called
murder hornets.

As if we needed more to
worry about than the threat

Of the deadly disease that
has gripped the world,

Now there is more fodder
for people's nightmares.

Reporter: It looks like
something out of a horror film,

With a name to match--

The murder hornet.

It comes straight
out of hollywood

In terms of what you think an
evil alien might look like.

They are, in fact, the largest
species of wasp on the planet.

And its sting is strong
enough to kill a human.

Reporter: Some describe the
sting as feeling like hot metal

Inside their skin.

Their jaw can
actually take a chunk

Of flesh out of the human body.

Reporter: They can
kill people and wipe

Out entire honeybee colonies.

Reporter: 60,000 honeybees
torn apart in a savage attack.

There were dead bees all
over the front of the hive,

All over the bottom board.

And they all had
been chopped to bits.

Reporter: They rip
their heads off

And take the thorax for food.

I know nature is violent,
but that's like horror movie

Violent.

The pollination that
honeybees do for our food

Supply cannot be understated.

Reporter: Washington state
entomologist chris looney

Says the clock is ticking.

The goal is to eradicate
it now while the population

Is presumably small.

It's a bit of a race for us to
find them, and find their nest,

And destroy them before
they destroy our honeybees.

If this were to
become well-established

And then start spreading, it
could be pretty catastrophic.

Reporter: If he
and his colleagues

Can't wipe out the
invaders this summer,

They're likely to
multiply and spread

Across the country
with potentially

Disastrous consequences.

Reporter: The big concern
that these hornets

Could wipe out the population,
which is already under siege--

Reporter: --Because they kill
massive amounts of honeybees--

[interposing voices]

Albert einstein said
that if bees get wiped out,

Then humanity will be wiped
out four years after that.

And I'm glad that albert
einstein understood very

Clearly the bee's
role in pollination,

Because that pollen is
really the dust of life.

Early on, before this
whole asian giant hornet

Problem hit the media,
sven showed up to one

Of our bee club meetings.

This was shortly before
the whole pandemic started.

We're looking at each other,
saying, hey, what are we

Going to do about this problem?

Because if this thing gets out
and starts slaughtering more

Colonies, then everyone's
going to be like, hey,

Why didn't we do something
at the beginning?

Asian giant hornet's been
on my radar since 2013.

In 2013, conditions
in southern china

Led to the deaths of 42 people.

Those who did survive are
on dialysis for the rest

Of their life, in wheelchairs.

If you get more than
one or two stings,

It starts to get serious.

If you get 10 or 12, it
becomes life-threatening.

Before you know
what's even happening,

You could be in a real
serious world of hurt.

So it's one of the
secondary reasons

Why we just don't
want this to get

Established here permanently.

The chance to
eradicate is very rare,

That humans will
win a battle against

An invasive introduction.

And you have no idea what
the environmental impact

Of adding something else
to the ecological system

Is going to have.

Ruthie danielsen: The west
coast of the united states

Is perfect habitat for
the asian giant hornet.

So that's why it is
so important that we

Stop the asian giant hornet
from moving any further south.

We're the first line
of defense here.

Ted mcfall: We started coming
up with ideas for, hey,

Maybe we can figure out
a way to eradicate them.

Because we thought that it
was going to be pretty much

Us on our own.

We knew that sven and the
department of agriculture

Were going to try to
help us in some degree,

We weren't sure what.

My hope is it's not too late.

Right now, the murder
hornet is only here

In the pacific northwest,
in this area somewhere.

The goal is to find the nest.

But finding an asian
giant hornet nest

Is difficult at best.

Ted mcfall: No one really
knows how bad this murder

Hornet situation could be.

Could it throw the entire world
into the pangs of poverty?

It's possible.

The fact that they got
here shows that there

Is something terribly wrong.

And the only way
to make right is

To kill the asian
giant hornet that seeks

Out to destroy these honeybees.

And I tell you what, if we're
unsuccessful getting rid

Of this murder hornet,
god help us all.

Chris looney: I have always
been the kind of entomologist

That catches insects.

I don't have a collection.

I have no qualms
about killing insects.

But if I'm not contributing
to new knowledge,

It's just not really
my gig to catch bugs.

But I like to do it
when there's a reason.

I have looked for some insects
that I really wanted to find,

But nothing like this,
where the stakes were high,

The people were watching.

My entire professional
life was wrapped around it.

Short of being able to follow
one, walking around the woods

And looking for one is
another pretty decent tool.

It's actually a
horrible tool, but we're

Going to do it anyway.

Hornet in a haystack.

If there is anything that
influenced me as a kid,

It was not science.

This just happened by accident.

I'm not a good mechanic.

I'm not especially religious,
so monk was probably out.

And I have no stories
to tell, so no ernest

Hemingway option either.

The nests apparently
have these really

Distinctive mounts of soil.

They nest in the ground,
often in rodent burrows,

Or exposures made
around rotting tree

Roots or exposed tree roots.

So this is sort of ideal
and impenetrable habitat.

Let's hope they're not
in these blackberries.

Jumping around on the ground
in a place where there might be

One of these nests and
it's hard to run away

Is probably the stupidest
way to look for this insect.

It seems insurmountable
right now.

I'm not really--

I'm not feeling that happy.

God, I talk a lot.

Last year, giant hornet
come to your country.

[speaking japanese]

Interpreter: Exterminating
asian giant hornet

Is a difficult job.

If your protective wear
isn't thick enough,

They can penetrate
it and sting you.

Giant hornet have this stinger
that can also spray venom.

Once, I heard from a
hornet exterminator

The venom went through
that gap in his goggles

And got into his eyes.

He said the pain was so
incredible that he couldn't

Open his eyes for a while.

And if he'd been a
little less lucky,

He could have lost
his vision completely.

[speaking japanese]

So they don't just
attack by stinging.

They can also attack
by spraying venom.

Narrator: But how did
the asian giant hornet

Get from asia to north america?

The most popular theory
begins with a fertilized

Queen looking for a cozy spot
to curl up for the winter.

She finds her way into a
stack of nestled terracotta

Pots intended for
export to north america.

Or perhaps she boards
the ship herself,

One of many bringing lumber
from the pacific northwest.

Once emptied, the
cargo holds are

Littered with bark,
twigs, and sawdust,

Perfect for digging a nest.

After an 8,000-mile trip, the
ship arrives on the northwest

Coast of north america.

The queen emerges
into the sunlight

And flies into the lush forest,
ready to start her colony.

Or maybe humans played
a more direct role.

Vespa mandarinia is considered
a delicacy in certain parts

Of asia, sometimes
grilled on skewers

Or steeped in a korean
liquor called soju.

Perhaps some
unscrupulous entrepreneur

Managed to smuggle a
murder hornet starter pack

Through customs,
hoping to charge

Premium prices to vancouver's
most adventurous diners.

Unfortunately, it was
the hornets who decided

To go out for a bite instead.

[gasp]

Or maybe none of
this was accidental.

Some conspiracy theorists point
out that the murder hornet just

Happened to show
up in north america

At a time in which the us is
locked in bitter trade wars.

Is it possible that foreign
agents deliberately recruited

Vespa mandarinia as a bioweapon
and sent them into enemy

Territory to disrupt
american agriculture

By massacring honeybees?

Yeah, that's a bit far-fetched.

But in a world as
interconnected as ours,

There are so many
ways the asian giant

Hornet could have arrived
that it practically

Doesn't matter anymore.

It's here now, and there's
not much time left to stop it.

The asian giant hornet
has evolved in asia.

The honeybees in that
part of the world

Actually have a way
to protect themselves.

Our honeybees do not have any
means of protecting themselves.

[speaking japanese]

Interpreter: When a giant hornet
attacks a japanese honeybee,

The bees group
together and smother

The hornet in a bee ball.

Using vibrations
from their wings,

And their muscles,
and their abdomens,

The bees generate heat.

And together, they raise the
temperature to 130 degrees

To kill the hornet
by cooking it alive.

The only reason this
species is in north america

Is because of humans.

As human beings and
globalization moved a species

That shouldn't be in north
america to north america,

That's just one more
horrific impact that we

Can have to our food supply.

So since we created
this problem,

We, as humans, should
take ownership of trying

To correct this problem.

I don't have the science
background, but a lot of times,

People don't like
government agencies

To come on their property.

So that's a little
sensitive piece.

And so there's no better way
to learn than to do it myself.

This is a bottle trap.

The hornet comes
in, takes a drink,

And gets caught in
the liquid and drowns.

We have to use the
rice wine to help

Keep honeybees and other of the
good pollinators out of this.

Because honeybees would be
attracted to the sugar in here,

And they can get trapped
in here and die too.

And the murder hornets, they
actually like the taste of rice

Wine and rancid type of tastes.

They're meat eaters, and they
don't mind eating nasty things.

This design was given to
us from the people in asia.

It's interesting, a
couple of the traps

They found the murder
hornet still alive,

Swimming around in there.

This particular
orange juice actually

Came from the department
of agriculture.

Ruthie sweet talked them.

She said, hey, you
know, our bee club's

Trying to do everything
we can to help with this.

Do you think you could
help us with some bottles

And with some orange juice?

You need something done,
get some girl to sweet talk

Whoever you need to.

Because this juice does
get expensive, changing

These traps every single week.

It seems like the
department of agriculture

Is very concerned
about this problem.

Of course, they get paid for
it, and so that kind of makes

It a little bit
different, whenever it's

Your job that you have to do.

But thank god it
has their attention,

And it's not just a
bunch of us ragtag

Beekeepers that are trying
to figure out what to do.

Even if we catch a
couple murder hornets

In this particular trap,
that doesn't really

Help us in the long run
because it's only taking

A couple out of a big nest.

But the idea is if you hang
these up in enough places,

Then we're going to know
where they're active.

So we know that there's
going to be a nest nearby.

I see potential.

You never know
which one of these

Is going to be the one to
catch the murder hornet.

Interviewer (on radio):
As if the pandemic

And the economic meltdown
aren't bad enough,

Now murder hornets have arrived
in the pacific northwest.

Ruthie danielson is a beekeeper.

Thanks for joining us today.

Ruthie danielsen (on
radio): Oh, you're welcome.

Interviewer (on radio): What
do you think the chances are?

Can this invasion be stopped?

Ruthie danielsen (on
radio): Well, I'm hopeful.

What you do is you
get involved, and you

Try to do something about it.

Ruthie danielsen:
This is a huge area.

It's all of whatcom county.

Hundreds if not thousands
of square acres.

The more we get the word
out, the more people

That are looking, the
better chance we have.

That's an asian
giant hornet queen.

Oh, wow.

So if you do see one, call.

Human intervention might have
the biggest impact on us being

Able to eradicate this species.

We've got over 1,220
individual traps

Set up by the general public.

Well, I don't see anything
here as far as a hornet.

They call us
"citizen scientists."

I don't feel much
like a scientist.

I just am a person that cares.

And if we don't do it, who will?

I've had some really tall,
long, skinny, green creatures

And things that I've never seen
before, creatures of the night.

This is an entomologist's
dream, right?

I've been doing nonconventional
female things my whole life.

And there was a
job to drive a suck

Truck, which is a diesel-powered
vacuum cleaner, right?

Really, really
physically demanding.

And now we're
talking in the '70s.

There were very few
women in industry.

They looked at me and said,
let's see how she can fail.

So they sent me by
myself to this plant

To suck up human shit.

And I went in
there, and I cleaned

Up all that human [bleep].

And I did it in three hours
less than they bid the job for.

So I started doing
industrial cleanup

Throughout the northwest.

They didn't necessarily want
females doing what I was doing.

You'd get a lot of harassment.

I actually bought a black
hills gold wedding ring

So I'd quit getting hit on.

You just have to
have thick skin.

So you just be resilient,
you put your head forward,

And you do the best job you can.

The reason people are trapping
now and why it's important

Now is to be able to see if we
can find the nest before they

Start to make new queens.

Now is when we have the chance.

So every day, people
collect samples

With a number and the
date it was collected,

And bring it down
here and put it

In the cooler for washington
state department of agriculture

To collect.

Welcome to the
natural resources

Building entomology laboratory.

This is where we do all
of our trap processing

And identification services.

This is one of our
ace entomologists.

Early on, she requested
to be on team hornet

To get a break from dissecting
moth genitalia, which

Is what we do most of the time.

It's not so bad.

Sometimes, we get big old slugs.

I don't mind the
smell so much, but I

Probably won't willingly drink
orange juice for a long time.

These are massive amounts
of traps that are being

Sent by private residents.

This is a envelope containing
a trap that was put up

By a citizen science
collaborator, someone

Named elsa from bellingham.

We have processed, so far,
3,794 traps from the public,

4,359 traps from wsda.

And these guys have
identified more than 88,000

Individual specimens so far.

You read about climate change,
acid rain, species extinctions.

And there's nothing you can
do about it unless you're

Actively working in the field.

But not in this case.

I think there's
lots of opportunity

To get people involved.

It's not just beekeepers,
it's everybody, right?

Everybody is concerned
about the hornet

Because we all right now have
a bee in our bonnet about bees.

We have happy movies about bees.

They sell us cereal.

We eat honey.

So it's easy for
the public to care

And invest time into something
that keeps bees alive.

If this was a predator
of, say, katydids,

Nobody would give a damn.

And yet, you can't fault
any of us for that.

It's fine that we pick
and choose the insect

Battles that we care about.

And I'm glad people are
caring about this one.

We have invasive
insects pretty

Much everywhere in the world.

But this one struck
a lot of fear

In the heart of people at a time
when they were already afraid.

Ted mcfall: This world
would not be a good place

Without these fellas.

God created bees at the same
time that he created plants.

And his plan was to create
these creatures that

Can provide food for the earth.

Jesus talked about honey.

The ancient israelites were
wandering around the desert,

Looking for the land
of milk and honey.

They found honey in
the tomb of king tut.

Having the ability to
raise bees and harvest honey

Allows us to make
decisions that are

Otherwise extremely difficult.
Good thing kids don't know.

They don't know finances.

Things are real tight
already as it is.

So knowing that there is
honey money, in my mind,

I see, oh, ok, we can afford
piano lessons for our kids.

Whenever I see some
of the wax spill,

I see that as a few quarters.

I'm like, there's a quarter,
and there's a quarter.

I was just thinking about
them like it's precious money.

Yeah, it is.

It's liquid gold.

Love the bees.

Got to--

Keep them going.

Got to keep them
going, that's right.

Keep us going.

The amount of danger
that our bees are in

And the potential havoc
that this animal can bring

To our bee yard is devastating.

Many things that we
are unfamiliar with

Can make us uncomfortable
because we don't know how

To live around them, then
that could be something

That we are unwilling to learn.

Especially with our
line of beekeeping,

Why would we want to
live side by side?

And so even
though god may have

Allowed this terrible
creature to show up literally

On our doorstep and
start slaughtering bees,

A lot of times, there's
a bigger picture,

And there's going to be
a greater good that's

Going to come out of that.

And so that's why
I try to cooperate

As best I can with the
department of agriculture.

I know the head of the trapper
program is chris looney.

I'm not quite sure
about that guy.

He seems a little laid
back for my taste.

So hopefully,
we're all following

In what god wills of
this whole situation,

And we're trying to make
right what has gone wrong.

And-- right.

That is done.

There is some brand new
underwear right there.

That has not even been used.

There are a ton of fruit flies.

There's some sort of
houseflies, a moth,

Probably noctua
pronuba, and then

A handful of yellowjackets.

You manufacture that optimism.

Every single day, like,
this could be the day

That there's one in the trap.

And every day, I believe that.

And every day, I'm disappointed.

But I'll never have
that excitement,

I'll never get to find
a hornet in the trap

If I don't actually get all the
traps and check the traps, so.

Hm.

Somebody took one of my traps.

Little frustrating.

I really want to get live
hornets so that we can get

Our usda colleagues to
work on what the best

Detractant could possibly be.

Some of the other motivations
for coming up with better lures

Than orange juice and
rice wine is that it's

Really gross and sticky.

It'd be great to have
something that is less nasty

And doesn't spill.

That's one of my
motivations, anyway.

Full of mostly fruit flies.

Drosophila is the genus.

A couple of sad moths.

More fruit flies, kind
of like the last one.

Yeah, this is a sticky trap,
got a glue surface on here.

And then it actually has the
giant hornet alarm pheromone,

Which seems like a risky
thing to put on a trap,

But whatever, we're
trying everything.

Being a scientist is the
human being's natural state.

We are always taking
in information,

Processing it, and doing
our very, very best

To make repeatable
decisions about our world

Based on the
information we take in.

So everybody's kind of a
citizen scientist all the time.

But all the citizen
scientists that

Have taken this on
have really, I think,

Changed the game for us.

All of the people that live here
that have stepped up and placed

These traps out have
essentially quadrupled

Our ability to look
on the landscape

For this invasive species.

It's just huge.

It makes me a little teary.

We've got a whole
bunch of zeros.

And it leaves you wondering, do
we have a whole bunch of zeros

Because there are
no hornets here

To be attracted to the traps,
or because none of the traps

Are attractive?

I think we would learn so much
if we could just find one nest.

That's why I keep
not going home.

I want to stay up here until
I find a nest or somebody else

Does.

[whistling]

Five more sites to go.

That right?

Six more sites to go.

Good afternoon.
My name is chris looney.

I work for the washington state
department of agriculture.

I was calling to
talk to somebody

About accessing
property up near blaine

To look for the
asian giant hornets.

I've been siding
the greenhouse,

And I started seeing
bugs, big bugs,

That weren't familiar at all.

I had come in the
shop to grab a tool,

And I heard the
humming sound that I

Realized was the murder hornet.

And at first, I couldn't
tell where it was.

But then I realized it was up
by the open window upstairs.

So this is where I first
saw the hornet up close.

He was coming in here, and he
was landing on the wasp nests.

So I went, and I got
a can of wasp spray.

I held my breath,
and I shot, and I

Basically emptied half a can.

Oh, yeah, that does
sound like a good spot.

Water and conifers, all right.

He did observe them flying
off in a straight bee line

To the southwest,
which is great news.

Because as far as
we know, that's

What they do when they're
returning to their nest.

And he sent me some pictures
and said, here it is.

They're walking around,
looking at stuff.

That's fantastic then.

Chris pulled in our driveway,
and we stood for about an hour,

Just watching and
listening for hornets.

Didn't really see any.

And right when I
was about to leave--

We saw one fly over
the ridge of the house

Down over the roof
and start buzzing

Around the eaves of the house.

And chris sauntered over
there with his basically big

Butterfly net.

And when he was in
the right position,

He arced it over,
grabbed it, flipped

The net around to lock it in.

And we were able
to capture it.

And that's what's
in this cooler.

This is what we
call the robo fly.

What we're trying to do
is build this little robot

That's about the size
of an actual insect.

That was my first
introduction to building

These sorts of small things
that are at insect scale.

And at some point, I realized
that those same small things

That we'd been building
to put on little robots

Could also be attached
to live insects.

I found out about this issue
with the asian giant hornets,

So I reached out to the
department of agriculture.

And it turns out that the sorts
of radio technologies that we

Had been building in
the lab were pretty

Well-aligned with what they
needed to do-- something

Small enough to be able
to attach to a live hornet

That we could then use to try
to follow it back to its nest.

Oh.

There she is.

I do have it on ice
to keep it calm.

And I'll try to do
it fast so if she

Does wake up, doesn't fly away.

You can see its abdomen
is moving in and out.

So insects don't
have lungs, right.

They just have this
network of tubes that feeds

Oxygen to batches of cells.

And when they pump
their abdomen like that,

Sometimes, they're
helping force air through.

I don't know if this
wasp is going to make it,

But it's the best
lead we've had so far.

And it came from an actual
human being just seeing one

And calling us,
not our bad mimosas

That we hang up all
over the landscape.

Oh, look at those wings.

All right, I'm going
to close this up

Because I don't
want it to fly away.

Fingers crossed.

This has been like chasing
ghosts the whole time,

And finally, I got
a ghost in the net.

This is almost a win.

Tomorrow morning,
we're hopefully

Going to find a happy, healthy
hornet that wants to go home.

We will glue a
bluetooth tag to it,

And work with our
buddy vikram, and try

To follow it through the woods.

So this is the receiver
that we're using.

We have this large
directional antenna

That's receiving the broadcast
coming from the little tag

That we're going to
put on the hornet.

So we've got three of
the little trackers.

And I just have
this charger here

To make sure the
batteries stayed at 100%

Until we need them.

All right.

Do you guys have something
to apply glue with?

The mission this morning is
to see if all of this works.

We're going to try
tagging a hornet.

We're going to hope the
hornet's still alive.

We're going to hope the
hornet does what hornets do,

Which is to fly home.

And we're going to hope
that the phones do what

Vikram wants them to
do, which is to help

Us find where that home is.

That's really it.

If we get all of that done
today, I can probably retire.

We'll have had a major success.

It is super active.

I'm going to put
her right on the ice

And let her be real
cold for a minute.

So what are we doing?

So I've got super glue here.

You can put a drop then
and put it on its back.

All right.

The other thing is I
found on some insects

That scoring the area where
you're going to attach it,

That helps the
glue stick better.

Sure.

So you're going to do this?

I don't know if I'm
going to score this insect.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

[chuckle]

It's going to be ok.

You're going to love this.

Yeah, yeah.

Ok.

So I see a little
bit of it has dried.

We probably want to put
more glue, otherwise,

I think it's just
going to fall off.

Yeah.

And it just did.

Here, you hold it, chris.

And I'll try to get glue.

So you want to put some
glue on from the sides--

No, no, no.
Her wings are getting stuck.

It's no good.

It just needs to chill.

Relax.

Just relax.

It's fine.

Wings are all ripped up.

Well.

Let's try it again.

Come here, girl.

This is a lot of crap to
happen to this poor wasp.

Yeah.

Boy, do you think that's--

Do you think we still need
to reinforce with glue?

No, I think that's--

We don't want to risk
getting her wings any gluier.

Yeah, tap a little accelerant
on there, but I mean,

It's pretty much dry.

Yeah.

It's on there.

It's on there
pretty good though.

She's not happy.

No, not happy.

You're right.

So I'm going to put her
in here for a minute.

All right.

Ok.

Oh, it came off.

[groaning]

Didn't sleep last night.

Full of weird anxiety dreams.

I had a dream I was at seaworld.

And I needed to sign my
name on a piece of paper,

And I couldn't sign it right.

It's like the paper
was all soggy.

What a drag.

Could also do the--

Tie the string too.

See what I'm saying?

Loop it around.

Like a couple loops around
the abdomen with string.

Dental floss.

We are going to try basically
dangling it from the petiole,

So the area where the
mesosoma and the metasoma

Are joined together is very,
very narrow, very flexible.

It's how a wasp can sting
you all over the place.

We're going to make a
little cinchy noose.

We'll put it around the
abdomen, cinch it up,

And just let the tag dangle.

I would very much like
this to work though.

All right, lady.

Ok, let's do this again.

Now we're talking.

Man: I see there.

All right, now
let her warm up.

Let's get the phones.

Get the gps going.

[shout]

Well, I don't think she's
going to be able to fly.

We glued her wings together.

She's trying to--

Yeah.

So we're going to have
to catch another one.

What I am wondering
is if she is releasing

Alarm pheromones as we speak.

That's what I'm wondering.

Yeah, that's a bummer.

So are you going
to take care of her

For the rest of her life?

If by "take care of her,"
you mean chop her legs

Off and analyze her dna, yes.

Ted mcfall: Is that
the famous conrad.

- Hi, I'm conrad.
- You are the conrad.

I'm ted mcfall.
Nice to meet you.

Oh, you're ted.
Nice.

Yeah, yeah.

I recognize you from
the youtube videos.

Nice.

So I'm on the end
of just being a victim

Of the asian giant hornet.

So far, I haven't killed one.

I haven't even seen
one flying yet myself.

So to meet the guy on the
other side of the border that

Has actually killed a nest
and killed the murder hornets

Over there, that's kind of
like heroic for this part

Of the country for sure.

I had the dubious distinction
of serving as the trigger

Man for the eradication
of the first nest

Of asian giant hornets
discovered in north america.

About mid-August 2019,
specimens started

Showing up in the province
of british columbia.

A colleague of mine,
she and her husband

Were following a
footpath along a creek

And saw the flightline of the
hornets going to their nest.

I had some experience
collecting entire colonies

Of yellowjackets
for the preparation

Of desensitization
serum for people

That are allergic to
yellowjacket stings.

So she called me and
said, we found the nest,

We found the nest.

Come over, and
we'll do something.

So I grabbed my carbon
dioxide fire extinguisher

And my handi-vac that I
normally used for sucking

Up the yellowjackets.

I put on the kevlar vest
that I have in case--

Interviewer: Bulletproof vest?

Yeah, a bulletproof vest.

I squatted down
with the handi-vac.

I turned it on and tried to
suck up what I see coming

Out of the nest entrance.

And it's kind of like--

[buzzing]

Like stuck to the nozzle.

And it's like, this
isn't going to work.

And then it freed
itself from the suction

And then stung me four times.

Yeah, it hurt.

It's like red, hot thumbtacks
being driven in your flesh.

Not everybody's into that.

I give them a dose
of carbon dioxide.

When insects are flying,
they're metabolizing a lot

Of oxygen. If you
give them carbon

Dioxide instead of oxygen,
they basically suffocate--

[snap]-- right away.

It's like dagobah.

Look at this.

The size of the cells.

Oh my god.

Oh, look at this.

Oh my goodness.

It was getting
at the time of year

Where sexual reproductives
would be cast off,

So it was pretty imperative
that the nest be eradicated

As quickly as possible.

This, there's the queen.

Oh, that's the queen?

- So.
- Let me see.

Oh, look at her.

Look at the size.

Oh my god.

Let me see the queen.

Look how beautiful she is.

Do you see her?

I know.

I know, I know.

It is god's creature.

Oh my god.

There's a certain
pang in having

Been involved in its
eradication on the island.

It's a beautiful animal.

But it's an invasive
species, and the impacts

That it might have
on the environment

Are unknown, so why risk it?

Oh, awesome.
Hit him.

It's an asian giant hornet.

Get him.

I figured if we
found the nest,

I figured I'd go incognito.

So that's the queen.

She is huge.

Yeah.

Wow.

Can I hold her?

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

Wow.

Like what I've
been doing with--

Oh, [bleep].

I did it.

I've done it twice
already today.

Here, let me hang it.

Do you need the camera?

Come on.

My pet murder hornet. Oh.

Ruthie danielsen:
Oh my goodness.

Conrad berube: Do you
want to take off the mask?

Yeah.
Ruthie danielsen: Yeah, yeah.

Conrad berube: There you go.
Ruthie danielsen: Easy.

Oh.

Get a quick selfie
with the famous conrad.

Ok, we're going to look
nobly in each direction

And take our masks off.

Ruthie danielsen: You
want me to take it?

Ok, ready?

Look in the opposite
direction and look noble.

Yeah, normally, the
sting is inside.

But in death, they
kind of lose their--

- Oh, sure.
- You know?

Yeah.

It's going to be hard to get
them though, don't you think?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I feel like it's like trying to
stop coronavirus or something,

You know?

Once it's here, how are you
ever going to get them all?

Yeah.

Conrad just had
offered to come

Down and share his insights
from his experience

On vancouver island.

We've been
discussing the biology

And kicking around ideas for how
to better attract and monitor

For the workers who
are out foraging.

So this is the rice
wine and orange juice?

And honey.

Honey.

All right, nothing in that.

So where are you deciding
to put your live traps?

So this one.

So this is a live trap, eh?

Wow.

Has a hornet in it.

This is the first one that
I've caught in one of my traps.

We caught one.

And now we're going to
tag it and follow it home.

Yeah, there.

Number 4.

So chris just glued on
the little piece of string

That we're going
to use to actually

Attach this to the hornet.

If you remember, last
time, we had some issues

Being able to apply glue.

Kept moving around.

I think a little bit got
on one of the hind wings.

And so now we're
trying this method.

All right.

All right, girl.

She looks pretty cold.

Think you're good.

I've only got her
by one wing now.

Careful.

Careful.

All right.

I'm not going to
mess with it anymore.

It's just going
to be where it is.

I actually wish I had made
it a little bit tighter.

It's going to be fine.

Yeah.

All right, let's
take her over here

Where we hope to release her.

All right, there.

Now she's up there, warming up.

Hopefully, she can walk around.

She's agitated.

Keep your distance.

There she goes.

All right, well, let's see.

Oh, yeah, I just got it.

This way.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

So I think somewhere
up in these trees.

Pretty good.

Yeah, that actually means
she's relatively close

Somewhere, somewhere up there.

Well, that didn't take
long to lose sight, huh?

Yeah.

Are you still seeing it?

No.

Because I'm not either.

Nope.

She is gone somewhere.

Hey, chris, I'm going
to walk around this way.

Ok.

You want to wander
around over there?

Indeed.

I think she probably flew off.

I picked it up.

It was pretty strong there
for a second, then it stopped.

Oh, yeah.

I got it.

Over here.

Still think they're
back there somewhere.

I think that's it.

Now it's time to start
wandering in the woods.

Yep.

Not sure I like this many people
creeping up on a nest, guys.

Which fork?

I know everybody's
excited, but please,

There is actually a real danger
to what we're doing today.

Are you picking it up?

I think she looped back around
the back side of the woods.

That way?

Yeah.

We lost the signal.

Just had it again.

Yeah, I'm getting
really good signal

Pointing straight down here.

We lost it, and chris got it.

Yeah, chris is all the way
back over on the other side

Of this yard.

That thing took off.

They can fly really fast.

I wonder if the nest
isn't right there.

She could be underground.

So what brave soul's going
to go wandering in there

To see what's going on?

Me.

I've got clippers
in the truck.

Well, we're going to have
to go buy a machete, but yeah.

But if I go in, I don't
have a signal even slightly.

So she either got past us,
or she's down in the ground

There somewhere.

These blackberry
bushes are nasty.

Oldest trick-- go backwards
through the blackberries.

Just wondering what I was
thinking coming along on this.

All right, I
have 100% lost it.

She's gone.

Hey, did you guys lose it?

I don't see it.

Yeah, we completely lost it.

If she started
flying again, then

Who knows how far
she's gone, right?

It's probably underground.

Everybody has lost it now.

They fly pretty fast.

What do you say
we call it a day?

Yeah, call it a day.

Fun one.

He was like, I wonder
what the current news

About murder hornets is.

So I looked it up, and
the headline was something

Like, "washington state
fails to track hornet again,"

Which was true, but it was
a bit of a downer headline.

I guess I was a little
frustrated whenever they caught

A murder hornet, and
got glue on its wings,

And had a little fiasco trying
to put a tracker on them

And all that.

I was like, oh,
here's our big chance.

And then they blew it.

I was like, oh, come on.

I know the entomologists
feel like they

Already know everything.

But beekeepers are
very well aware

Of putting creatures to
sleep and waking them back up

And things like that.

And honestly, I
was pretty upset.

One, this has never
been done before.

Two, my god, try to
get a collar on a cat

And see how easy
that is sometimes.

And three, it's like,
excuse me for saying this,

But [bleep] happens.

My ex mother-in-law
would always say,

"it only gets worse," which
is a very glass half empty

Kind of perspective, right?

But it also suggests
that this is

Your best shot, so just
assume this is all you've got

And go for it 100%.

Failure is always the logical
conclusion of everything I do,

But not trying is
even more failing.

So you just muscle
through it and try

Not to let that mean voice
in the back of your head

Tell you to quit.

These are the food traps
that we set out yesterday.

But we had a proteinaceous
bait, basically cat food.

This is tuna paté.

[meow]

What is that?

Is that a kitten?

Hey, cat.

What you doing?

Where'd you come from?

Find us some asian
giant hornets?

In my mental wanderings, I
was making the comparison

Of a sasquatch in saskatoon.

If you were in an
apartment building,

And you saw a
sasquatch, and then

It ran upstairs into
one of the rooms

In the apartment
building, finding it

Would be a challenge.

And the scale of having to find
something in the great outdoors

As opposed to a single
building is just

Astronomically more difficult.

You may have noted I'm not even
looking up here because they're

Exclusively ground nesters.

So you're not going to find
them above ground level.

The only way that you would find
a nest in something like this

Is if you were to see
hornets flying out

From the base of the debris.

In the forested
area around nanaimo,

There are patches that are
as impenetrable as here,

But it's not completely
clogged with blackberry.

Well, I'm going to take
the cat food down and leave

It for our little furry friend.

There you go.

Look.

There you go.

Just need to get the
asian giant hornets

To respond the same way.

But best laid plans, mice and
men, often go [inaudible]..

Frankly, I don't think
they're going to find it.

Oh, hey.

I looked at the ferry
schedule, and it

Looks like it makes
more sense for me to try

And boot it home tonight.

Woman (on phone): Yeah.

If you could have anything
from america, what would it be?

Ok.
Woman (on phone): Yeah.

Have a good one.
- Bye, sweetie.

Have a good day.

[kiss]

Bye.

[fog horn]

These gurkha knives are
actually made to behead people.

This particular one
was my grandfathers,

Who fought in world war ii.

They didn't believe in
taking prisoners of war.

So they would catch
the nazis, and when

The nazis would surrender,
they would say, uh-uh.

As the murder hornet
comes flying by,

It'll smell the sap from the
tree, and it'll try to go in.

And when it tries to go
in, it'll accidentally

Bump the outside of this
sticky stuff with his wings,

And he'll get captured on there.

It's poetic justice that
I'm using a beheading tool

To try to stop the
creatures that are here

On us soil, beheading bees.

My grandfather, he's
been dead a long time.

I'm sure he'd be real proud of
me right now to know that I'm

Using his gurkha beheading
tool to try to help stop

This murder hornet problem.

All right.

All right.

I'm going to go put
this in a location

I think a hornet's
nest might be,

And then chris is going
to try to find it.

This technology
is a vhf radio tag

As opposed to a bluetooth chip.

In theory, the signal
carries a little further.

And we should be able to pick it
up again if it for some reason

Goes out of range.

Oh, yeah.

That works pretty well.

I mean, it just lights up hard
when you get in the right zone.

He was within two feet of it.

And I guarantee, if we're
sitting on a hornet's nest,

Two feet away from
the hornet's nest

Is going to be close
enough for us to find it.

Yesterday afternoon,
I heard the noise again,

The loud buzzing sound.

He said the sound was
kind of like a hummingbird.

He was hiding under the eaves
there, and so I walked up,

I got close.

And I was watching
him, but I couldn't get

Him while he was under there.

So he climbed onto his
roof, which is the worst

Idea any human can have.

You don't swing nets
at bugs on roofs.

That's how you fall off.

And then he just flew
out and was hovering

Right there in front of me.

And when he did, I
just made a swoop,

And then I rolled
it up like that.

I saw chris do that.

And I got it.

It was like the platonic
ideal of citizen-agency

Collaboration.

Well, philip, I'm surprised
that you've done all this stuff.

I'm surprised I've
done all this stuff.

Yeah?

Yeah.

My weeks don't
usually go like this.

I'll be all depressed when
it goes back to normal.

It was super
cool to-- you know,

I don't want to say bond, but
kind of bond with him that way.

The receivers
seem to be working.

What was that?

That kind of looked
like another hornet.

Did one just fly by?

I think it's a good sign.

Look at that stinger come out.

Yep, I see it.

Under there.

Watch it.
Watch it.

Watch it.

Ok, watch out.

One leg there.

Oh, yeah.

You're on.

Nope.
She's good.

Yeah.

Cut them.

All right.

Stand back.

So let's give her some jelly.

It's what hornets want.

Looks good.

Looks like there's nothing
in the way of the wings.

I like that she's eating now.

This is very encouraging.

It's looking good.

Now she just noticed the tag.

There it goes.

She's flying around.

[inaudible]

Yeah, I think
it flew this way.

Which way?

Into the sun.

Well, she took
off, didn't she?

Went home.

Yeah, let's go
see where home is.

Getting it just right here.

I'm not hearing anything now.

Let's go around and get
in a little bit deeper.

Nothing.

Nothing.

That way?

Maybe she's underground.

[radio click]

I heard that.

She's in here somewhere.

There's a chance that it's
actually still just moving.

Could be just moving.

[radio clicking]

That was really loud.

I wouldn't be shocked if it
was in that little gully there.

Stay back so I have
a clear path to run.

This is nuts.

It's around somewhere.

It's either a nest
or our tag, but where?

[dog barking]

It seems like it's got to
be a tag at this point--

A dead hornet or the dropped
tag-- because I feel like we

Would all see hornets, no?

I feel like it because
you're right on top of it.

Nothing here.

Where the hell is she?

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Wait.

Sorry.

I just saw a mound of
dirt under a tree there.

Chris, I hear it.

I heard it.

You mean the hornet?

Loud buzzing.

Right there.
- There it goes.

Whoa.

That was not our hornet, was it?

I don't think so.

No.

Oh.

Ah, shit.

I see the hole.

It's not in the ground.

Are you kidding?

It's in a tree.

It's in the freaking tree?

Yes.

Holy crap.

(singing) we've
got ourselves a nest.

Oh, oh!

We've got ourselves a problem.

How the hell are we
going to kill that?

That's it.

That's the nest.

Oh, thank god.

Watch yourself, chris.

I want to talk
to the homeowner

Then about taking
this tree down.

Yeah.

I'm all turned around,
so I don't know if we've

Talked to you before or not.

Let's take it.

Ok.

Ok.

I'm a potato farmer, so
I've been gone the last month.

Oh, yeah?

Ok.

You need to [inaudible].

All right.

- In theory--
- yeah?

They can get a
little aggressive

If you get too close.

No kidding.

Holy.

Do you know, I come
through with my lawn mower

And never seen them.

Yes, we're assuming you'll
agree to let us deal with that.

It'll probably be
Saturday morning.

To what?
Take that tree down?

Well--

Oh, kill them?

Kill the nest first,
then take the tree down.

Light it up?

[laugh]

So you just come through the
woods, or you just came around?

We came through the woods.

Normally, we ask first, but
we had to follow her, so.

So is this the first
nest you've found?

Yes.

The very first one?

First nest in the us.

Wow.

Canadians got one last year.

Look how big that thing is.

Yeah, congratulations.

Let's see if you can buy
some lottery tickets today.

No kidding.

I could use a lottery right now.

Chris looney: You compound the
difficulty of even catching

These things to begin with with
the complication of catching

Them alive and then
figuring out a way to follow

Them back to their nest.

That's pretty challenging.

The public service thing
is part of my family.

I'm the only male in three
generations that wasn't

Actually in the military.

I have a brother who is a very
successful major in the army.

I have a cousin who is a
master chief petty officer.

That's like the highest rank
you can be in the coast guard.

I got a lot to live up to.

But I have massive
issues with authority.

I would be a crappy soldier.

Being a public
servant is awesome.

I love that I work
for every person that

Can figure out how to call me.

And because of
that, I don't want

To be just some slug
sitting in an office

Somewhere, taking
up public money.

And one of those
jobs that we have

Is to try and do our very,
very best to eradicate things

That we don't want
in north america,

Specifically washington state.

And we got one.

I feel like the
money that everybody

Paid for me to do my job
was better spent than not.

Now they can say, "washington
state finds hornets in trees,

Even though they said
they'd never be in trees,"

Or something like that.

Maybe that will be
the negative spin.

The scientists consider
it, and they determined

That there are more
negatives than positives

About them being here.

And so they decided this
is the best thing to do.

And I trust them
in that decision.

But they are beautiful insects
and interesting insects.

And in some ways,
it maybe wouldn't

Feel so bad to have an
insect like that around here.

I feel sad.

If they didn't
hurt the honeybees,

What would be wrong with them?

Yeah, look at that.

Look at that beast.

What a evil, little creature.

What a evil, little creature.

It just felt really good to know
that the next day, all of them

Were going to be dead.

Oh, I would love to
have stomped them.

The only way that it
would be more justice

Is if they would
have let me go in,

Behead all the murder hornets.

Glue them all down
to something and let

Me chop their little
heads off or something.

I just hate them
so much, you know?

I mean, they already slaughtered
so many of my bees last year.

So thank god that
this particular colony

Is going to be wiped
out tomorrow morning.

This little fella on this leaf
that I'm looking at right now,

He'll be slaughtered.

We're going to him right back
to hell where he came from.

As dangerous as these can
be, and as much as I don't want

To be stung by them, the
idea of murder hornets

Is a very hyperbolic nickname.

The concept of murdering things
exists in an ethical sphere,

Right?

And that only makes sense
for humans when we're talking

About what our morals are.

Ascribing our own ethics to the
actions of other species, let

Alone insects, which are so
different than vertebrates

That they're essentially an
alien life form, is nonsense.

Still dangerous.

Maybe dangerous hornets,
but not murder hornets.

News today from
washington state.

It came in a statement
of two words--

"got them."

Today, federal
agriculture authorities

Destroyed a murder hornet
nest, the first ever

Found in the united states.

Reporter: This morning,
finally, a major breakthrough

For washington state
researchers who

Have found where some
of the elusive hornets

Have been hiding.

Reporter: The first known
nest of its kind in the us,

Discovered inside a
tree north of seattle.

Many times, people say
that working with government

Agencies is a waste of time.

And I have to
disagree with that.

Working with washington state
department of agriculture

Has been fabulous.

We have that synergy that occurs
when you get a lot of people,

Kind of like the beehives,
working on a common goal.

I can imagine when all those
thousands of people that have

Put up traps heard
that they found a nest,

There was a collective yay.

We are not in the clear yet.

Entomologists saying there
is still a very good chance

There could be more nests.

Beekeepers hoping
that's not the case.

The asian giant hornet
is here because of humans

And the choices humans make.

Everything is connected.

If we tip the
balance one way, it's

Going to have an
impact on something

That we might not even
have thought about.

Reporter: Left unchecked, murder
hornets can potentially wipe

Out honeybees in north america.

It's very serious.

But score one for
the scientists.

When we work together,
when we have good science,

And if we get enough
people engaged,

Then I absolutely believe
that we have a chance

To eradicate this hornet.

I've seen so much
stuff in my life

That people say I can't do.

It's like, no.

I reject that and
say yes, we can.

Of course, we can.

So now let's find
the second one.

We didn't eradicate
the nest the day

We vacuumed it up, right?

All we did was catch a lot
of insects and seal it.

And so what's going on in
that nest is still a mystery.

Oh, I want that one.

Yeah.

I know.

Yeah, it looks like
the queen, or a queen.

Yeah.

That's her.

So we cut the
tree down, carved it

Into a movable
section, and hauled it

Off to a laboratory to look at.

We ended up doing it at
washington state university

Because they had a
big cold room that we

Could be in that would
keep them chilled

While we were working on it.

I looked out of
my kitchen window,

And I thought to myself,
wow, this looks like somebody

Got murdered in our backyard.

There was tons of
people with red lights,

And they were
documenting everything.

And then the news started
getting out that the first nest

Was in our backyard.

There's national news on
this, not even just in the us,

Everywhere.

Sven was in charge of the tree
part, and I told him, I'm like,

Ok, we're going to
take this tree down.

Then what are we going to do?

They were here.

They got what they want.

And then here I am,
stuck with the mess.

What do I get for this?

It's not the fact that
there's a nest in it.

It's just my property, you know.

I paid taxes on that
property, so we want it back.

I told them I wanted
every specimen,

Every larva, everything back.

The same murder
hornet chaos that

Has made people
really engaged also

Makes them kind of want them.

Because this species is
an introduced species,

It is not governed by washington
state fish and wildlife laws

Explicitly.

There's kind of this
gray empty area.

And so the landowner just
said, I want this nest back.

He says, nothing gets
released unless it's

Approved by me in writing, so.

I guess I had
thought we would open

It exactly on the other
side, but that's pretty deep.

I don't think anything is
coming out in this temperature.

I'm going to roll it.

There's quite a few in there.

Do you want to gas it?

Yeah.

That ought to slow them down.

Split that tree open.

Oh, there's quite a few.

Yeah.

Stay back.

Keep your eyes open.

[inaudible] found all
of these living wasps.

They're crawling around.

All right, let's pick
those suckers off.

How fast can you guys run?

Oh, she's a big one.

We opened it up, and there
was a nest six combs deep.

Quite a few
hatched out, I think.

Yeah, this was an
interesting one here.

It looks like they started
cannibalizing their own.

Lunch.

[laughter]

There were still
almost 200 larvae in it.

76 living queens.

One of them, presumably,
was the foundress.

The other ones were all the
new queens that were emerging.

I think we got that nest,
frankly, right before they all

Would have left.

That's our tag.

That's our tracking tag.

There is no doubt that had
we not destroyed this nest,

Each of those queens could
be a new nest next year.

We didn't get
the whole species.

It's one triumph on a very
long road to winning this race

To eradicate things that we
don't want in north america,

Specifically washington state.

Agriculture, this is chris.

How's it going, man?

We're all right.

We opened up that
nest, and actually, I

Was going to call you because
I have a proposal for you,

And that would be a lot
more specimens for you

If you're interested.

But I would ask, in return, if
we can maybe take six of them

And get them to some of
these pheromone researchers.

The ability to get a fresh
queen is really unprecedented.

I don't think we'd have that
opportunity another time.

There's essentially 100
queens in there by now.

I talked him into
giving up eight queens.

It was very unexpected.

Never would have
anticipated that.

It was 100% a slap in the face
finding out that I suddenly had

To beg for access to this nest.

American taxpayers
had spent, basically,

At this point, a half a
million bucks to track

A nest down and capture it.

And then suddenly, we had
this unanticipated barrier.

And this is a big dog.

People sell them all over the
internet, I'm finding out,

30 to 50 bucks apiece.

I should have over
a hundred of them,

And I plan to sell them on ebay.

Chris looney: If
you've got a hundred

Things you can sell
for 40 bucks a pop,

That's a big chunk of money.

It's hard for me to say
that's the wrong thing

For you to do without just being
moralizing and grandstanding.

Nothing's really too
significant about these to me.

They're just another bee.

It's just one of
those things that it

Would be a good wall art, I
guess, in the house, you know?

Get it mounted or something.

I was going to
make him a display

Case with the comb and all
the specimens and stuff.

And I'm like, well, [bleep] it.

Here's your frozen nest.

Right?

I'm not going to do that now.

On 3.

It was a blow to science.

It was a blow to
american history

Is actually what I see it as.

I still think this should be
preserved in the smithsonian.

All right.

Well, everybody
have a good weekend.

Drive safely, sven.

See you later.

(singing) happy
birthday to dada.

Happy birthday to you.

Thank you.

I'm going to blow it
out covid-19-friendly.

4, 1.

That's it.

Yay.

I'm not sure about
the wine with the cake.

I think maybe I should've gone
with the milk with the cake.

Oh.

It's a bug zapper.

I didn't see that one coming.

Whenever I'm drinking
our fine honey wine,

I like it whenever she plays the
piano, because I feel refined.

I feel like I'm--

Elegant?

--Upper crust
kind of a person.

Play a song for us, kat.

Hey, come on, we're paying
for these piano lessons.

We've got to take
advantage of these.

Can you play the
theme song for 2020?

I think you know what
I'm talking about.

[plays "the exorcist" theme]

[laughter]

"2020-- pandemic."

"2020-- murder hornets."

For us to think that
there's not more

Murder hornets in this area
would be totally naive.

We successfully got rid of
a nest, which is a big win.

But we're going to war.

And actually, I'm going
to ask the department

Of agriculture, hey,
do you need a master

Beekeeper on your team?

I'm convinced that
real heroes are just

Regular people that try
to do the right thing

And accidentally become heroes.

Jeff kornelis
(voiceover): When I

Think about this hornet
coming to my porch,

I often wonder why.

Why me?

I think these things
happen for a reason.

Nature is more intelligent
than we give it credit for.

It might seem hard to
believe, or kind of woo woo,

But I think this hornet
ended up on my porch

Because I would know
what to do with it.

It was guided by
its intelligence

To its final resting place.

Nature can bring us
messages, whether or not

We're ready to hear it.

And I think these hornets are
giving us a reminder that we

Need to be stewards
for our environment

And do what we can
to take care of it.

I see a lot of beauty
in these hornets.

And I see that they
do belong somewhere.

They just don't belong here.

[music - guided by voices, "I am
a scientist"]

♪ I am a scientist-- ♪

♪ I seek to understand me, all
of my impurities and evils ♪

♪ yet unknown. ♪

♪ I am a journalist-- ♪

♪ I write to you to show
you I am an incurable, ♪

♪ and nothing else
behaves like me. ♪

♪ and I know what's right,
but I'm losing sight ♪

♪ of the clues for which
I search and choose, ♪

♪ to abuse, to just
unlock my mind, ♪

♪ yeah, just unlock my mind. ♪

♪ I am a pharmacist--
prescriptions I will fill you. ♪

♪ potions, pills, and medicines
to ease your painful lives. ♪

♪ I am a lost soul-- ♪

♪ I shoot myself
with rock and roll. ♪

♪ the hole I dig is
bottomless, but ♪

♪ nothing else
can set me free. ♪

♪ and I know what's right,
but I'm losing sight ♪

♪ of the clues for which
I search and choose, ♪

♪ to abuse, to just
unlock my mind, ♪

♪ yeah, just unlock my mind. ♪

♪ I am a scientist-- ♪

♪ I seek to understand me. ♪

♪ I am an incurable, and
nothing else behaves like me. ♪

♪ everything is right. ♪

♪ everything works out right. ♪

♪ everything fades from
sight because that's ♪

♪ all right with me. ♪