The Deadly Bees

Two officials from an unnamed ministry discuss a flurry of letters from a beekeeper claiming to have developed killer bees. They dismiss him as a lunatic and refuse to take his warnings seriously. The scene establishes the officials' skepticism that will contrast with the events to come.

Pop singer Vicki Robbins collapses from exhaustion during a television appearance and is sent to recuperate at a cottage on Seagull Island. The cottage is run by Ralph and Mary Hargrove, with their beekeeper neighbor H. W. Manfred nearby. The setup introduces the main characters and the eerie island setting.

Mary's dog is attacked by the bees on the rest home grounds, and soon Mary herself is also killed. The series of bee attacks heightens Vicki's suspicion that the Hargroves are somehow involved. The casualties increase the tension on the island.

Vicki, encouraged by Manfred, begins examining Hargrove's papers. She discovers that Hargrove has isolated 'the smell of fear' into a liquid form, which Manfred suggests is used to bait the bees. The discovery hints at a deliberate mechanism behind the bee attacks.

Bees attack Vicki in her room at the cottage, forcing her to flee for safety. She escapes to Manfred's house, seeking his help and protection. The escape marks a shift from passive investigation to active danger.

Manfred tells Vicki he will return to Hargrove's farm to collect evidence, which raises Vicki's suspicions that he may be planning something himself. He reassures her he has a professional interest, but his secrecy fuels distrust.

Vicki searches Manfred's house and uncovers a secret laboratory. When he returns, Manfred admits that he is the killer and explains that he used the other-farm visit as a ruse to plant the fear pheromone and kill Hargrove, whom he had targeted all along. He hints that he suspected Manfred's ill intentions as well.

Vicki destroys Manfred's moth recording, provoking a lethal response from the bees that sting him to death. He crashes through a banister as the house erupts into flames. The killer's downfall occurs amid smoke and chaos.

At the height of the confrontation, Manfred's bees swarm the pub landlord who is investigating the Hargrove place. Hargrove chases after the killer with a smoker and saves the landlord by telling him to throw away his jacket.

Hargrove and the landlord rush to Manfred's and arrive to find the house on fire, managing to rescue a trapped Vicki just in time. The island's dangers are finally countered by their timely intervention.

The day after the events, Vicki leaves Seagull Island, carrying with her the memory of the ordeal and the unresolved questions about the case. Her departure closes the immediate chapter of the mystery.

A bowler-hatted ministry official finally arrives to investigate the deaths, signaling an official inquiry into the bee-killer incident. The arrival suggests official scrutiny and future accountability.