‘Attack of the Murder Hornets’ documentary follows WSDA’s hunt for Asian giant hornets

A documentary was created about the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s efforts to find and trap the Asian giant hornet.

“Attack of the Murder Hornets,” can be streamed now on Discovery+.

A production crew spent six weeks in Washington filming beekeepers, researchers, and WSDA last fall.

It was by chance that filming began the day before WSDA entomologist Chris Looney caught the first live Asian giant hornet in the U.S. The film crew captured footage throughout the project, including when WSDA found and destroyed an Asian giant hornet nest.

The documentary also shows how the public worked with government agencies to find and trap the hornets, including widespread trapping work by members of the Mt. Baker Beekeeper Association and other citizen scientists around the state.

“This film is an opportunity to educate people in an entertaining way about the work that is being done to prevent Asian giant hornets from establishing in the Pacific Northwest,” Sven Spichiger, WSDA managing entomologist, said. “Viewers will see some great shots of these hornets and the film does a good job showing how important the partnership between government agencies and the public has been to this effort.”

Visit agr.wa.gov/hornets for updates on WSDA’s efforts to find and destroy Asian giant hornets.

Cox Media Group