Discovery+ has a new documentary on the way that will focus on the infamous murder hornets that struck fear in the hearts of Americans in 2020.
What’s going on?
The new film — called “Attack of the Murder Hornets” — will show how the Washington state Department of Agriculture worked with local citizens to take on the so-called “murder hornets.”
- These hornets threatened local bee populations, which prompted apocalyptic headlines around the world as the coronavirus pandemic first kicked off.
The documentary will look into how the government and citizens are working together to find the hornets’ nest and put an end to the insects, per The Seattle Times.
Director Michael Paul Stephenson explained his thinking behind the documentary in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“We were all having a coronavirus moment, and then it was murder hornets and it was like, ‘... what else?’” said Stephenson. “The thing that pulled me the most towards it was, what is it like to be a beekeeper and a pest control worker and having to try to stop what could be the establishment of an invasive species? The odds are slim! It felt like it was an impossible mission. What I didn’t really know, or see coming, was this feeling (about) the value of public service. I will never look at hornets the same but I will never look at government and public service the same after seeing this small contingent of folks really committed to actually doing what they’re paid to do.”
The documentary will be available Feb. 20.
Context
The murder hornets made headlines at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, as I wrote about for the Deseret News. The hornet seemed to disappear from headlines shortly after they first popped up.
Recently, scientists predicted the Asian murder hornets could return to the United States to build new habitats across the West Coast, as I wrote about for the Deseret News.