Hornets built a nest the size of a small refrigerator inside a Patterson, Louisiana, shed, and Jude Verret was called to remove it. His footage of the harrowing process, posted to Facebook, has drawn millions of views.

The wasps audibly pelt the camera lens, sounding like rain, as professional bee remover Verret walks toward the nest. The buzzing activity ramps up as he dismantles what he calls "the granddaddy of hornet’s nests."

In the video, the nest looks like a large pile of dirt or cardboard. In fact, hornets build their nests by chewing wood into a papery construction pulp. There are about 20 different types of species—in North America, the European hornet is common. The European hornet belongs