Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his Indian Wells title defense with a special reunion—this time under far better circumstances. A year ago, his quarter-final match was dramatically halted when a swarm of bees descended upon the main stadium, swarming around the moving spidercam and forcing play to be suspended for nearly two hours.
Enter Lance Davis, better known as the ‘killer bee’ man. Called in to save the day, Davis swiftly cleared the court of bees, allowing Alcaraz to continue his match. His heroic efforts made him a viral sensation, and this year, tournament organizers invited him back to do the coin toss for Alcaraz’s opening match.
The two-time defending champion faced Quentin Halys in the second round on Saturday, and as he approached the net, the umpire introduced him to Davis—though the 21-year-old Spaniard needed no reminder. Beaming, Alcaraz greeted Davis with a hug. “I hope this year there won’t be any bees!” he joked.
Commentator Kevin Skinner acknowledged the unexpected star of last year’s tournament. “Here’s a notable man—Lance Davis! King bee, from Killer Bee Live Removal,” he said. “Remember last year when the bees swarmed the court during Alcaraz’s match against [Alexander] Zverev? That was the hero of the day.”
Davis fully embraced his title, even sporting black and yellow shoes to match the bee theme. After a quick catch-up, Alcaraz dashed to the baseline to begin his match, reassured that if history repeated itself, an expert was on standby.
Last year’s bee chaos unfolded just nine minutes into Alcaraz’s quarter-final against Zverev, when bees began buzzing around his head, with one even stinging him. As the swarm took over the court, Alcaraz bolted to the locker room, and play was suspended.
Less than an hour later, Davis arrived, making an immediate impression. In a moment that quickly went viral, the president of Killer Bee Live Removal strode onto the court wearing just sunglasses, a long-sleeved shirt, and jeans—no protective gear whatsoever—and calmly vacuumed up the bees.
He then ran through the stands, high-fiving fans and snapping photos with spectators before consulting with players and tournament officials. Thanks to his swift action, play resumed after a nearly two-hour delay.
Davis’ fearless performance even caught the eye of actor Ben Stiller, who praised him on social media, calling him “very cool” and “fearless.”
A veteran in the field, Davis has been working with bees since 1971 and founded his company in 1986. Recalling last year’s emergency call, he revealed that his truck was in the shop when he got the urgent request from Indian Wells. “I had to drive over to Palms To Pines Automotives and get my truck,” he said. “They had just started working on it, and I told them, ‘No, put it back together! I’ve got to go. I’ve got an emergency call!’”
Though Davis didn’t get to watch Alcaraz’s match against Zverev that day, he made up for it this year, returning to see the world No. 2 in action against Halys—this time without the need for his bee vacuum.
