In a raging war for control of Earth, occupying forces buzz and skitter, with some out to draw blood! Termites, mosquitoes, rats, mice, ants, and cockroaches have spread damage, disease, and death for millions of years. As we trace pest control from humble ancient beginnings to medieval Black Plague, from the billion-dollar pesticide business to holistic Integrated Pest Management, we meet the foot soldier in the battle between man and bug--today's high-tech and ecologically aware exterminator.

It's a great American wilderness--millions of acres of wild, primeval land with its own people, its own technology...and its own rules. Survival there depends on smarts and science, guts and grueling work...and a unique approach to one of the world's most uncompromising environments--swamps. Watch an assembly of the distinctive airboat, then hop on board for a breathtaking journey, and discover the surprising history behind this swamp staple of transportation. Take a wild ride on a big-tired swamp buggy, and taste test some local delicacies that bring new meaning to "acquired taste." Witness a massive engineering project to divert the mighty Mississippi River, and meet the machines that make that job possible. Plus come face to face, literally, with enormous pythons and menacing alligators.

Some of the most imposing structures ever built, medieval castles withstood both bloody assaults and the test of time. Designed like machines with nearly every architectural detail devoted to defense, castles represented the perfect fusion of form and function. Journey back to that unruly era as we examine the complexity of their construction and the multi-purpose they served--homes to kings and nobles, economic centers, courthouses, treasuries, prisons, and torture chambers.

Have you ever wondered what happens to your body after you die? You might be surprised to discover that the human body is host to a multitude of hidden secrets.

More than 2-million people die in the U.S. each year. That works out to about 5,500 burials a day, with roughly 80 percent taking the long goodbye in a casket, and the remaining 20 percent electing to be cremated or finding some alternative method of crossing eternity's threshold. We take a look at dealing with the dead throughout the centuries, and at today's $20-billion funeral industry. Any way you look at it, it's a healthy business, with new generations of customers year after year!

Halloween has become a six billion dollar industry. Go behind-the-scenes at Knott's Berry Farm's 35th annual Halloween Haunt. Learn how to apply Hollywood grade monster makeup, watch scary latex masks cranked out by the thousands, and discover which costumes are past and present winners. See the most extreme jack-o-lanterns ever made, find out how hundreds of gallons of fake blood are manufactured, and finally visit a haunted house with an annual attendance of over 50,000.

Some activities only occur when the world is dark. We stay up late off the coast of California to hunt some slippery and slimy nocturnal creatures: squid by the tens of thousands. Fishermen show us how they lure them into their net by mesmerizing them with the boat's powerful lights. We also visit Toronto, Canada, the self- proclaimed "worm capitol of the world," where an army of pickers pluck countless night crawlers emerging from their burrows. In Tennessee, we put a night vision lens on our camera to capture the action as military trainees try their hand at the latest night vision gear. And we'll experience how hard it is to evade a police helicopter's blindingly bright Spectrolab spotlight, or powerful noses and sharp teeth when the cops deploy their K-9 units. For some after hours fun, we'll see how more than six hundred, 2,000 watt lights can turn night into day inside the Pittsburgh Pirates' new state-of-the-art stadium.

Feared by millions worldwide, rats are some of the most dangerous, destructive, and useful animals on Earth. Ride along with a Terminix exterminator to get face to face with the creepy creature in a near rat infestation, and see the great lengths we take to get rid of the pesky pest. Tour the Hacco Inc. rodenticide plant to see how tasty poisons are concocted. At the Taconic rat breeding facility, we'll see how hundreds of thousands of rats are bred and raised in high-tech and controlled environments. Watch rodents compete in the Xtreme Rat Challenge at the annual American Fancy Rat show. We'll trace their history and role as a vector of deadly diseases, but also explore how they have saved countless lives as lab rats. Scientists will show us how a remote controlled rat could be your savior in the near future.