Pasco County, Florida - Shannon Behnke and Theresa Gray like to hike through the woods on the Behnke family ranch. They never know what they're going to see. "There's all kinds of wild turkeys and wild hogs," says Behnke while walking along a shady trail.
And on Mother's Day this couple saw one mother of a nest. "I've never seen something like this before in my life," says Behnke.
The couple spotted a huge yellow jacket nest and wisely backed away. Yellow jackets are beneficial insects, but this nest is so large it poses a danger to any hikers or cattle that come too near.
10 Connects put Behnke in touch with entomologist and removal expert Jonathan Simkins who is always attracted by this kind of buzz. "We like stuff like this. We don't run into this everyday...and it's really fun to see this type of situation in nature," says Simkins who works for All Florida Bee Removal.
After suiting up in white coveralls, headgear and gloves and then duct-taping closed any openings, Simkins and the couple that discovered the nest tromp right up next to it and plan their attack.
The weapons of choice in this situation are a spray of soapy foam and a shovel. It takes about 10 minutes to turn a buzzing nest into a soggy grave.
The 10 Connects video is impressive, but it comes with a price. Despite protective gear, 10 Connects photojournalist Wayne Waichunas feels the angry sting several times on both hands. "Oh, it's very freaky," says Waichunas, "because you can hear them, you can see them crawling on your mask, see them crawling on the camera."
Simkins says such a large nest was probably three years old and was home to some 20,000 yellow jackets. Because the nest was so large and interesting, All Florida Bee Removal did the job for free.
And now Behnke says his hikes through the woods will be much more relaxing. "Oh, 100%."
For more information about yellow jackets in Florida click here.