Nest Zero – Murder Hornets in Washington State

TVW Documentaries

Get an inside look at the battle to keep them from spreading in Washington and British Columbia.

With interviews from professional entomologists and part-time beekeepers, this 15 minute documentary explores the ways that Asian giant hornets could have traveled thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean and whether or not they are likely to pose a long term threat to people and honeybees on this side of the world.

It begins with the first Asian giant hornet sightings in the summer of 2019 on Vancouver Island then follows the trail of sightings west to mainland Canada and south into the United States via Whatcom County, Washington.

The documentary features firsthand accounts of what it feels like to be stung by a “murder hornet” and what happens when the world’s largest hornet species targets a hive of western honeybees that have never had to deal with them.

Maps of confirmed sightings illustrate the scale of the challenge facing entomologists looking for hidden nests in remote terrain on both sides of the border. You’ll also hear why methods used to fight other invasive flying insects aren’t an option for Asian giant hornets.

Nest Zero highlights the role of public involvement in spotting the invasive hornets and the efforts of the Washington State Department of Agriculture and its partners to develop new tools to locate and destroy their nests.