Selects: Wasps: Not as cute as bees | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

Hi everybody. Happy Saturday. We are. rolling through CO one episode at a time. every other week with me, your host, Coch Chuck. I had it three times so I. can call myself that. Uh August 4th, 2020. Uh middle of the summer during CO. People are uh out and about a little bit. as far as um getting out into nature at. this point because it's summertime, but. they're still keeping their distance. Hopefully still masking up and hopefully. listening to this episode at the time. Wasps. You know what's coming. Colon not.

as cute as bees. And you can check that. out right now. Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, a. production [music] of iHeart Radio. [music]. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm. Josh Clark. There's [music] Charles W. Chuck Bryant. Jerry's out there. somewhere, which makes this stuff you. should nizzo. >> Yeah. Old school insect edition from.

Robert Lamb. [music]. >> I know. It's It's got mouth parts in it, but it's no Tracy Wilson joint. >> Yeah, it's Tracy. >> But it's still good. It's super. charming. It starts Robert starts this. article out from the perspective of a a. spider who has been dragged into a. wasp's nest and is about to be eaten. alive by a wasp larvae. Yeah, >> it's pretty interesting. >> Yeah, >> it's a it's a good article, I guess, is. what I'm trying to say. And if you are. not familiar with Robert Lamb, then.

friends, you are missing out on not one. but two, no, three really great podcasts. that that guy has put out. Um, what is. it? Stuff to blow your mind. >> Of course, the the stalwart science tech. well not tech sort of science plus show. >> Yes. Yeah. Yeah. In-depth like super. deep rabbit hole interesting stuff. And. then um uh he did one called Transhuman. >> Yeah, that's a fiction scripted sci-fi. Very cool. >> Yeah. And then also uh he and Joe, who.

he does stuff to blow your mind with, also do Invention, too, which is kind of. an in-depth rabbit hole thing about. invention. So check all those out, everybody. >> Yeah, it was fun to kind of get back to. basics with a nice little insect cast on. wasps. And dude, I went outside today on. my side deck to let the dogs out and lo. and behold, I looked. >> whoop. >> What? >> I was You said who let the dogs out. >> Sorry. >> But you said let the dogs out. So I had. to.

>> I thought [laughter]. >> I thought you were saying wait. >> No, no, I was saying woop woop woop w. [gasps]. >> Oh boy. There was a wasp nest on the. ground. >> Okay, good. All right. Sorry. Did I I. knock the legs out from under that. story? >> Yeah, this is just a wasp nest, but it. was you know the timing. >> Was it live? >> Oh, I didn't poke it to see it. It was. It was not attached. I think it had. fallen. So, my guess is that it did not. have any more wasps residing in it. >> Man, that's got to be a real let down.

cuz it's the middle of summer right now. So, they're they're wanting to like. grow. There was probably larvae in. there, huh? >> Yeah. >> That's That's really weird. They must. have abandoned it then. >> Yeah. And wasps are, you know, I think, you know, everyone loves the bees now. because they should because bees are. awesome and bees produce honey and we. want bees to stick around, but I think. wasps and hornets, which are a type of. wasps, >> uh, are still just so maligned and.

they're the ones that people will reach. for their can of raid to spray and. >> with no qualms. >> Yeah. And you shouldn't don't do it. Let. the wasp live. I'll go ahead and say it. now. We're gonna say it a bunch. Yeah. >> But let them live. >> Totally, Chuck. Thank you. Yeah. We're. here to open everyone's eyes to the. function and purpose of wasps existence. They're not like mosquitoes. Remember in. the mosquitoes episode, we basically. concluded that there's no reason for. mosquitoes to be around. >> and they just are terrible. >> Um, wasps are not like that. And I think.

Robert does a really good job of. basically pinning down why wasps get. such a bad rap. One is that their stings. pack such a wallup compared to other. stinging insects. >> Yeah, it hurts. >> And we'll talk about their their stings. and the venom that goes along with it. Um which is so okay, that's fair. Like. nobody wants to be stung by a wasp. It's. really it can ruin your day. Um and then. also the other thing is is that the if. you pay attention to wasps, you realize. that they live these really brutal,

grizzled existences. They're they're. predators. And in fact, in their. habitats, they're apex predators. They're like sharks and lions. But for. the bugs and um sometimes small animals. that live around there, like I didn't. watch any of the videos that I could. have, >> because I'm just really over animal. death, even if it's nature. >> Oh, really? >> Um yeah, when I was doing um. >> when I was doing the end of the world. with Josh Clark, like I went into it.

just feeling fine about that. That's. just nature. That's the way things work. And then one of the guys I talked to is. David Pierce who you and I talked to. actually first in our super stuff guide. to happiness. >> Oh yeah. >> But I went back and interviewed him and. his whole jam is like we could actually. eventually engineer the the biosphere so. that there isn't any suffering among. animals and like what we take as natural. isn't necessarily have to be that way. >> And it's really changed how I view like.

violence even among animals. So anyway, the upshot is I didn't watch any videos, but one of the ones that I saw the title. was uh wasp kills baby bird. >> So that video is out there if you want. to see that. But I just can't I don't I. don't like to see that stuff anymore, you know? Yeah. >> I mean, I didn't really like enjoy it. before, but now it just downright. bothers me. >> Yeah, I get it. That's I live with a. person who can't watch anything like. that, so I get it. >> Yeah. So, there are more than 20,000.

species of wasp. Uh, and like I said, hornets are a kind of wasp. So, if you. hear, I mean, you would call a hornet a. hornet, but you can't necessarily use. them interchangeably, but a hornet is a. wasp. >> And, uh, there's a lot of, you know, over that 20,000 species, there are a. lot of different kinds and a lot of. variety, uh, as far as what they look. like and what their shape like and what. color they are and how they'd like to. live their life. But as with every. insect cast, we're going to go over.

those body parts. >> Sure. And. >> because mouth parts is in there. somewhere. [laughter]. >> And it starts with that exoskeleton. Uh. just like uh all the little insect. buddies have that kiten exoskeleton. And. in the case of the wasp, they are very. segmented out. They have three segments. They get your head, which has got those. uh antenna, the sensory antenna. You got. those mouth parts. cuz they lick and they bite. And then. you have the very cool looking compound.

eyes and uh simple eyes. These sort of. kidney-shaped eyes of a wasp that are. very sort of signature. >> What are they known as in your Italian. accent? >> Uh oi. >> So if in the Italian if a vowel follows. a c it Yeah. It makes a ch sound. If a c. is followed by an h it makes a c sound. So, is this really pronounced Ochelli? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> I think in in like among biologists,

they probably say Oelli, but since. you're doing the accent, >> Sure. >> I wanted to set you up for a lesson in. it. [laughter]. >> I appreciate that. >> Um, okay. So, you've got the head. It. has some [clears throat] eyes. It also. has a brain, Chuck. >> Yeah. >> Um, which I saw supposedly wasps are. among the smarter insects out there. They can recognize each other by face, by facial markings. Did you know that? >> Yeah. Hey, Steve. How you doing? Sting. anyone? >> I'm doing okay, Ted. Thanks for asking. Just killed the baby bird. Some weirdo.

was was filming it and put it on the. internet. >> Well, actually, Steve would say, "No, I. didn't sting anyone because I'm a man. and I don't sting.". >> Uh oh, yeah, that's a really great. point, Chuck. Um, which we'll talk more. about later. You'd find the stinger in. the abdomen, which is the third part, the lowest part of the the wasp body, but only in a female, which I think this. is true for for bees, too, if I'm not. mistaken. >> Yeah, I don't remember. We've done a lot. of good bee stuff.

>> Uh, and then in between those things, you got the thorax, which has the six. little legs, and then those those really. quick flapping wings. >> Yeah. So, um, in in between the thorax. and the abdomen, you have a very narrow. waist, which usually is what gives away. a wasp. You can look at it and be like, "That's a wasp." Yeah. Um, it's like. it's got a corset on, unless it's a. hornet. Hornets are much chunkier, more. rotunded. >> Yeah. >> Um, but they are, like you said, a kind. of wasp. >> Um,

and actually, I think the the genus. that, um, hornets fall under is called. Vespa. And Vespa in Italian means wasp. So. hornets are wasps in Italian. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> So I I think one of the coolest thing. about the wasp is the the history and. the evolution of this thing. Um along. with some pretty horrific uh stuff. that's going to follow. But about in the. Cretaceous period about 100 million.

years ago, you had to kind of take a. snapshot of planet Earth to understand. how the wasp forms. And back then, they. didn't have all these flowering plants. like like we have now. There were a lot. of conifers and these evergreens. depended on the wind to spread their. seed around. They weren't counting on. the insects to do to do this kind of. thing at this point. And uh and we. should also mention that ants are a. cousin of the wasp, which makes sense. They look kind of antlike. >> Yeah, I think they finally figured out.

that ants um evolved out of mudbers. They're their closest relative. >> Okay, which kind of makes sense. I think they. have some antlike behavior. >> Yeah, antlike. Uh so the age of the uh. during the Cretaceous period these wasps. were carnivores and they prayed on. spiders and other insects and as plants. started to evolve they realized that hey. there's a lot of insects flying around. going back and forth like we're just.

using the wind to carry our seed around. Why don't we why don't we get these. insects to work for us basically and. they can do the job. >> Yeah. So that was the rise of the. angioperms. Um which is you know whenever you think. of a flower that the bee visits and. moves from place to place carrying. pollen that's what an angioperm is. Um. rather than having to just depend on the. wind you can depend on the insects. And. so eventually over time these wasps,

these early predators that used to um. feed exclusively on other insects said, "Well, you know what? This this whole. nectar thing and the pollen thing, I can. get with this." So they started to. change their diet from um insects to. pollen and nectar. But the weird thing. is is rather than developing a way to. feed their young from pollen and nectar. like honeybees, which I think is another. reason people like bees and don't really. realize it realize it.

>> is that um they're little vegetarian. vegan animals. >> Yeah, maybe. >> You know, they they don't hurt anybody. They'll they'll defend themselves, but. they don't want to go hurt anybody. They're very peaceful. Wasps are not. like that because even though they. generally most species of wasp, adults. eat nectar and pollen, they still kill. other insects to drag back to their nest. to feed their young to raise their young. on. So wasps are technically omnivores. At the beginning of their life, they're.

carnivores and then later in life they. grow into um herbivores. >> Yeah. Isn't that amazing? >> It is. Wasps are way more amazing than I. realized. >> Should we take a break and talk about. their stinger? >> Yes. >> All right. We'll be right back for. Stinger Talk. [music]. [music].

>> All right, welcome to Stinger Talk. I'm. Chuck. >> I'm Josh. I'm Wait, no, [laughter] I'm. Ted. >> I guess that makes me Steve. >> Yeah. >> Uh, wasp stings are tough. Um, you kind. of mentioned early on it's, you know, you get a yellow jacket and that that's. that doesn't feel great. Uh, and. obviously we're talking about if you're. non-allergic and it's not like a.

legitimate threat to your health and. it's just the pain of the sting that. we're rating here. Yellow jacket sting. isn't great, but a wasp sting and a. hornet sting is really something else. It's it I feel like it it hurts more and. for longer. >> and for good reason because it actually. does. Um like bee venom is its own thing. shares a lot in common with wasp venom. Wasp venom seems to be this. extraordinarily highly developed like. biological weapon that is this cocktail.

of different kinds of compounds that all. come together to produce a horrible pain. sensation that lasts longer and has a. greater impact on your body than. anything the actual sting produces. And. that's apparently the whole reason. behind it is it makes the wasps seem way. less uh vulnerable than they actually. are. It seems like they're way more. powerful. And for all intents and.

purposes, they are. But like if you if. you could take the venom out of the. sting, the sting would would do. basically nothing to you. But because. that the the venom is introduced by that. sting, that venom is so potent, it it's. like one of the worst things in the. world to get stung by a wasp. >> Yeah. And the actual stinger itself was. uh it has a pretty remarkable. evolutionary story. Uh so here's what. happens. In the prehistoric times, this. parasitic wasp would use this. ovapositor. That's actually, you know, the egg laying organ. They would use.

this pointy thing to lay the egg on a. living insect. Like they would lay the. egg on the caterpillar. Then these. little larae would hatch out and then. they would eat that caterpillar. The. larae would. So at some point as things. are evolving along, mother nature says, "You know what would be even better than. this is if you could saw open that. caterpillar with this ovapositor and lay. eggs inside of this thing." And that's. exactly what happened, >> right? Um which made a lot of sense. And.

I think there's a lot of um wasp species. or there's at least some that still do. this. like rather than build a nest, they just go find an insect host and lay. some eggs on it or lay some eggs in it. and then just let the larae eat the eat. the inside out. But um most I think have. evolved to kind of use some different. techniques which we'll talk about in a. little bit. But the the stinger itself. stuck around even after it stopped being. used to actually deposit eggs into the.

insects directly. >> That's right. Uh and you talked about. the venom. That's obviously produced in. the the venom gland, stored in a little. venom sack, little burlap sack inside. the wasp body, and then it seeps out. It's got it's a barbless stinger. It's. just like a straight little pointy. thing, but it seeps out through these. little valves and coats the entire. stinger. And so they store this stinger. inside of a sheath and are always kind. of ready to use it. And you know, like. we said, it's only the females because.

it was an ovapositor. But the males can. pretend like like they'll rear their. little butt your way and say, "Stay away. from me. You don't know if I'm a male or. a female." Right. You don't want to look. too closely. Right. >> Right. Which is just hilarious. But. also, doesn't that show like a certain. level of intelligence as well? >> I think so. >> Or at the very least, there's some. >> some rem Yeah. To bluff, you know, >> that's that takes intelligence. Um, which is I think another another. indicator that wasps are amazing.

>> Yeah. And like you sort of hinted at, the reason this venom is so powerful is. it has a is has a couple of functions. Is one is uh just the simple function of. paralyzing those insects. >> And the other is as a defense. like it's. it's meant to sting something much much. larger and have that thing hurt so bad. that it thinks it's hurt a lot worse. than it is and like just wants to get. out of there basically, >> right? And then that combined with um.

their very usually very bright colorings. because you know usually the more. colorful an animal is the more toxic it. is. It's just kind of a universal symbol. in nature to just steer clear. Um, and. hornets and wasps typ typically are. fairly colorful as far as insects go. So. those two things combined can teach a a. larger animal pretty quickly to just. leave them alone. And that's kind of how. how wasps have have made it this long. I. mean, they've been around for more than. 100 million years, you know.

>> Yeah. >> Um, that's a pretty successful species. or or family of insects. >> Yeah. And that includes humans, obviously. If uh. >> Sure. If you go poking around a. hornets's nest or wasp nest and you get. stung, you're not going to finish the. job, you know? You're probably just. going to get out of there. >> Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully, you can learn. your lesson that first time, you know. Yeah. Or maybe you don't even have to. learn it directly. You can just know to. stay away from the wasp. >> So, what's in that venom? >> Oh, some really good stuff. I actually.

found even more stuff than Robert. included here. >> There's some peptides and some enzymes. Um some of the enzymes include. phospholipase. >> A and B. >> phospholipase A and B. Um and these. actually break down the membrane and. lipid um coating of cells in your body. to basically spill their guts into your. bloodstream. And that includes neurons. neural cells can be spilled into your.

bloodstream when they encounter this. peptide which sends a a excruciating. pain um notification to your brain. saying alert alert you're in a. tremendous amount of pain that's just. like step one. >> Yeah. Uh they also have uh. norepinephrine in there which stops the. blood flow temporarily and that's why. like that when I said it feels like it. lasts longer. Mhm. >> I feel like that's the norepinephrine. Norepinephrine at work.

>> cuz it just sort of sits in one place. and eventually the bloodstream is going. to kind of dilute it away, but it kind. of hangs out there for a little while. >> Yeah, that's just mean. Um there's also. acetylcholine which actually goes to. your pain receptors and stimulates them, >> right? Wow. >> And there's also histamines. Um and. histamines are released by your body. They're they're responsible for the. inflammatory response, but they also um. the the uh venom in a wasp's uh venom is.

uh includes histamines directly too just. to make sure that it gets that. inflammation good and good and primed. >> Yeah. And then there's I was hoping you. would take this part because of that. word. You want to try it? >> Hyaluronadase. >> Oh well. [laughter]. >> Well, I use hyaluronic acid under my. eyes so I'm familiar. Sure. >> What's that? >> It's like a It's an acid [laughter]. put under your eyes. >> Um I don't know. I think for bags and.

>> Oh, like eye bags. >> Just to generally keep Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just to keep your eyes looking sharp. >> Oh, wow. I noticed your eyes look always. look so sharp. >> I thought I thought you'd notice. eventually. >> So, uh that thing that you just talked. about and then something called. >> days. >> MCDP, mass cell degranulating peptide. This stuff actually melts through the. connective tissue between cells. >> and basically just sort of it destroys. those membranes and allows the venom to. move a little more freely than it would.

ordinarily. >> Yeah. And the the mass cell uh. degranulating peptide degranulating. means that it basically goes to your. mass cells and squeezes the histamines. out of them. So, not only does it. contain histamines already, not only. does it trigger a histamine response or. release, it goes and gets it out of the. cells that normally carry it around in. your in your immune system. Um, so it's. just really mean, nasty stuff. One of.

the other things I saw that they've just. started to kind of um pay attention to. is called brady brady kynan and it's. associated with chronic pain. So, >> wow. on top of acute pain production. They're like, "How about a little dose. of what it feels like to have chronic. pain too in the mix of all of this. stuff?" And then Chuck, tell me this. isn't astounding. I got a couple more. One thing is just called antigen 5, which is as cryptic as it comes. They. don't know exactly what role it plays, but they know it's a very powerful.

allergen. And then there's um a couple. of peptides that are antimicrobial. which prevent the wasp from contracting. an infection from a prey that it puts. its stinger in. >> Wow. >> Yeah. Isn't that amazing? Like this is. some amazing stuff. >> Yeah. And I didn't see I saw that. hornets can sting again and again and. again, >> but I don't know about the wasp in. general. Is that the case? >> Yes, definitely. >> Okay. Mhm. Because a hornet is just a.

type of was. So you've got like mudbers. is the kind of wasp. A hornet is a kind. of wasp. And there's like many types of. hornets, but they're all wasps. >> That's right. >> You know, >> so yeah, they they can sting again and. again and again, which apparently is. another reason why their sting hurts so. bad. They can do this to you and inject. this venom into you. I saw one expert. interviewed on a different How Stuff. Works article that said an average of 10. times. Like if you get stung by a wasp, usually you're going to get stung more. than once. And it can be 10 times, I.

guess, on average. I don't know if they. just pulled that out of the air, but. they were a wasp expert, so hopefully. not. >> Well, you know those murder hornets that. are making the news these days in the. States, >> those things can kill small rodents with. a full charge of a sting, >> right? the Asian uh giant hornet, which. they found, I think, >> I think three of them in the Pacific. Northwest that. >> uh they thought they got rid of last. year, but it turns out they survived the. winter. A queen did.

>> Yeah. >> And um you know, they call them murder. hornets because they kill bees. And. there was I didn't know this, there was. a big uh because it was just sort of a. back page thing, but in 2016, a package. of murder hornets was intercepted at San. Francisco uh International Airport. >> Mhm. and they destroyed that so it. didn't become a thing. But they're a. real threat to bees. So that's why. people are sort of writing about murder. hornets now invading as an invasive. species here in the US.

>> Yeah. And I mean like it's really doing. an injustice to the hornets. unfortunately because calling them. murder hornets like if you read some of. the articles on it like people will say. outright like oh they'll they they can. kill people very easily and that's just. absolutely not true. Um, and it makes it. sound like they're a threat to humans. The, like you said, the big threat is to. honeybees and specifically it's to. European honeybees because they haven't. evolved around um, murder hornets or. Asian giant hornets. Asian honeybees.

have and they actually have a defense to. where when um the giant hornets show up. like you were saying they just like. murder hornet is a good term if you're a. honeybee. >> because just a few of them showing up at. a hive can just destroy a colony in a. few hours and they do it in a really. brutal way. They like they decapitate. the bees and just kill an entire colony. in a few hours. And they do it because. they're one of the few species that that.

um they're omnivorous, but most of their. food comes from meat. They're mostly. carnivores. So, they're eating all these. bees basically. >> They Yeah, they just carry your baby. right off out of its crib. Um, but they. they can wipe out a whole colony like. this. If they run into a Asian honeybee. colony, those bees have developed a. response where they'll swarm around one. of the Asian giant hornets and they'll. flap their wings a bunch and generate. heat and they'll cook the hornet alive.

inside the swarm. That was that's their. defense. European honeybees, which make. up a lot of the honeybees, most of the. honey bees in the United States, they. don't have that defense. So, it's a big. problem if the the Asian giant hornet. gets a foothold here. >> Yeah. And it will pack a lot more of a. punch, too. Um, they have about seven. times uh potency as a honeybees venom. And as far as the pain scale, they. likened it getting stung by an a murder. hornet is they likened it to like.

between three and 10. Like if you were. to be be stung by three to 10 yellow. jackets all at once. It's so awful cuz a yellow jacket sting. is nothing to sneeze at either. I mean, that's a kind of wasp, you know. >> Yeah, I don't get I haven't been stung. in a long long time. Knock wood. >> Knock on wood. I got stung a couple. summers ago. >> I'm not allergic or anything, but you. know my story. I told it back with the. bee thing was when I was hiking that. time and I got tagged 11 times in the. face and neck.

>> Oh man. Uh when I stumbled, it was one. of those underground hives. >> that I just walked over and you know, you see two or three bees, you're like, "Oh, what's going on?" Then you see 10. and then all of a sudden they're. everywhere and you're just running like. a through the woods toward the. river basically. But yeah, I got hit 11. times and uh you know that could have. killed me if I was allergic out in the. middle of nowhere like that. >> Sure. I thought you were allergic, so we. just lied on the episode of the Stubbish.

TV [laughter] show. >> Yeah. >> Huh. >> Yeah, it was painful. There was one. >> I think that got the deepest on my. eyebrow bone, my orbital bone. >> and it went straight through and I could. I could almost feel it on my bone. And. that's the one like I had a hard time. getting it out. It was so embedded. And. it felt like somebody and I I've I know. I use the same uh analogy back then, but. it felt like somebody had a tiny little, you know, the little nails you hang. pictures with. Felt like somebody had.

that poking that bone and they were just. tapping it with a hammer in this like. regular beat. >> That is awful. It. >> was terrible, >> man. Alive. Yeah. It sounds like you. stepped on a yellow jacket nest cuz they. they nest in the ground. >> and they follow you too. like they were. going to come after me until I got. >> Where you going? Huh? [laughter]. >> Uh, I think we should take a break maybe. and talk about nesting right after this. [snorts]. >> Yeah.

[music]. Okay, Chuck. So, we're moving on from. venom. I think we made our point. Venom. from wasps is pretty serious. Um, and if. you want to avoid getting injected with.

venom from wasps, you want to learn to. know what a wasp nest looks like so you. can avoid the wasp nest altogether. because some wasps are u more aggressive. than others and if you get anywhere near. their nest they're going to be like let. me just give you a little lesson about. getting close to my nest and they'll. sting you right yes you want to get away. so. the um kinds of nests that you see um. hanging from trees that's a kind of wasp. nest that's paper wasp nest um there's.

mudber nests there's nests in the ground. that are yellow jacket nests wasp make a. bunch of different kinds of nests. And. for you to survive in the world, you. have to know what each one looks like. and be able to sense them out with your. your nose. >> Yeah. When I think of of wasp nest in. Georgia at least, I think of that. honeycomb style uh where it's just a. bunch of little tiny holes and it looks. like it's made out of paper because it. kind of is in a way. Yeah, I think those.

are bald-faced. um hornets or wasps. I can't remember. which one. >> I think those are the wasps. >> And they actually chew up wood fragments. that they'll get from say like your deck. or if your kid only has those old timey. wood toys, they might chew those up if. they're in the yard. And then they take. that and turn it into actual pulp like. paper. They spit it out and make a. basically a paperier-mâché nest. >> Yeah. >> Which is pretty impressive. But that's. why those things look like they're.

papier-mâché because they basically are. >> Yeah. And they're light like. papier-mâché. Um and they're fairly. intricate if you look at them. They have. some of them have what looks like little. roof eaves. Um they can be they're like. I said super light. So they can be. dangling from a really small sort of. threadlike uh I don't even know what you. would call it. Just a. >> thread. >> Yeah. Sort of like thread, I guess. >> Suspension cable. >> Yeah, suspension cable. Exactly. We'll. go with that cuz it sounds like it's a.

little sturdier. Although, is that the. kind that you found in your yard today? >> Yeah, I found. >> Did you let the dogs out? >> Yeah, I found one of those uh laying on. the ground when I was a kid. You know. the big hornets nest that are the big. sort of um also sort of looks like. paperier-mâché, but it's more gray and. it doesn't have the the little holes. It's just got one central entry point. and it's about as big as a football. >> Yeah, >> those were sort of like country decor. Did you ever know anyone who had one of. those in their house?

>> Yes. Murderers, serial killers. [laughter]. >> We'd had one. My dad climbed up a tree. to get one of these. It was emptied. Thank goodness. >> Uh and we had that thing, you know, mounted on a log above our fireplace for. years. >> Really? >> Yeah. It was weird. >> Wow. That's fascinating. >> Yeah. >> I don't remember which kind that is. And. I I mean, I've looked at so much stuff. about wasp. >> I think it was the whitefaced hornet if. I'm not mistaken. >> Okay. Is that who it is? All right. get pretty big and they're Yes. And. they're big. Um the the like you said.

the size of a football, their nests can. get pretty big. >> Um but yeah, they they that's a good one. to avoid. I didn't realize that they. were aggressive. Huh. >> Yeah. You don't want to mess around with. one of those nests. You don't want to go. poking it. >> From what I saw though, mud dobbers, which actually make theirs out of mud, they're the ones that, you know, those. tubes that usually come down from like. the ceiling down the wall. Those are. actually mud tubes that the mud dober. has made. And mud dobbers, we should say.

they're basically two kinds of wasps in. the world. Wasps and hornets. Social and. solitary. And solitary is exactly what. it sounds like. They It's just a single. wasp, a female living on her own. Um. she'll mate with some male wasp and then. go off, make her own nest, either. burrowing into the ground or if she's a. mudber, she'll make a mud nest. So when. you see a mudbers's nest, like stop and. be like, I respect that because that was. made by one single wasp on her own with. zero help whatsoever. She made that.

nest. Um, which I I just find extremely. impressive by chewing up mud and just. slowly but surely building it, spinning. mud out onto the wall. >> Yeah. And if you're a social wasp, uh, you are, it's sort of bee like in that. they're working for the queen. um maybe. more than one queen even, but you have. these male drones that are there to mate. and you have these female workers who. build the nest and they hunt for food. and tend to these little larae. But it's.

basically all about getting the queen to. live through the winter to the next. season. Um like they will all leave the. nest and I think I think the queen is. the only thing that overwinters. Isn't. that right? >> Yeah. Yeah. The queen Yeah. If they. raise queen larae, um the queen will. will live until the next winter and. start over again. Basically creating. eggs of sterile female workers to help. her to hatch and then help her build up. the hive, raise um male drones or no, is.

the drone the worker? No, drones a male. that's just used for reproduction, right? >> Yeah. >> Um and then eventually raise little. queens. Um, so it's pretty pretty. interesting, especially as far as like. social insects go, there are very few. species of um, social wasps and hornets. But the ones they are that are are. pretty they're they're highly social. even among like social insects. They. have pretty intricate complex societies. Like um, some of these the social wasp.

nests I think um, including yellow. jackets will have multiple queens. And. there's one head queen who has basically. beaten up other queens to establish her. dominance. And then she'll have the most. eggs and then the next layer down will. have the second most eggs and so on and. so forth. And that takes like a certain. amount of cooperation to. maintain and respect that type of. hierarchy to keep that society. functioning the way it should,

especially considering you have to to. reinvent the wheel every year after. winter comes and goes. >> Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Uh and they talk. to each other too in a way. They. communicate. >> um especially if there's a threat via. pherommones. So. >> that's why you are more likely to get. swarmed rather than just like if you're. an actual threat to a to a nest, >> they can send a signal that says, "Hey. everybody, this jerk over here's got a. this kid has got a stick and he's coming. at us. >> Yeah, >> let's get him.". >> And if they if they die, actually, they.

release that. It's like a byproduct of. their death is releasing that same. pheromone. >> Yeah. Man down. >> Basically, they turn into like Harry. Dean Stanton in Red Dawn where they're. like, "Avenge me." [laughter]. >> Uh I guess. >> I have that one written down, [laughter]. by the way. >> I guess you didn't see the uh the video. then of the the tarantula hawk since. you're not into those. >> No, but I've seen one in person. actually. >> Yeah. The Pepsis wasp is known as the.

tarantula hawk because they lay eggs. inside of a paralyzed tarantula and the. larae eat the tarantula from the inside. out. And I was like, I got to got to see. this. And of course on YouTube there is. a Pepsis wasp battling it out with a. tarantula and it's no match. Uh and it. paralyzes this tarantula and drags him. back. >> like a great distance. like you see pulling this tarantula. across the ground.

>> which is much much much larger. But the. tarantula, like you said, is no match. And even among humans, I think the. tarantula hawk's um sting is like a four. out of four on the Schmidt pain scale. Like it's as bad as it gets. >> because you know why? They asked Mr. Schmidt, "How bad's it hurt?" And he's. like, "Oh my gosh, it's terrible.". [laughter]. >> He saidow. Um, but yes, and they're very bright. blue and orange, too, which is another. another indicator like stay away. If you.

see anything that's really colorful, just assume it can it can mess you up. pretty good. >> Yeah. Don't lick the tarantula hawk. That's the case. >> Don't lick that colorful frog. So, but. even if they even if it's not a a wasp. taking down a tarantula and laying eggs. inside it that eat the tarantula from. the inside out, um almost all wasp. species, if not 100% of wasp species, um. they like we said, they raise their. young by by paralyzing other insects, dragging them to their nest and laying.

the eggs nearby, leaving the bug to be. paralyzed and still alive when the egg. hatches and larvae crawls over and. starts eating that bug. bug alive. And. this is one reason why wasps have such a. bad rap because it's just such a brutal. >> It's like a horror movie. >> circle of life. It really is. Yeah. Especially from the perspective of the. the insect. And apparently Charles. Darwin said um when he witnessed this. happening to a cute little caterpillar. that it made it difficult for him to. believe in an omnipresent and beneficent.

god. >> because what kind of god would allow a. poor a cute little caterpillar to do. that? Yeah. The thing is is Charles. Darwin, I mean, he liked to putts around. in the garden, but he was not a farmer. If you're a farmer, you're probably kind. of happy to see a wasp larvae eating a. caterpillar because caterpillars eat. your crops. And if you ask me, um, this. is where we get to the part about the. the roles that wasps play in the. ecosystem and why you shouldn't just go. willy-nilly killing them. >> Yeah. Yeah, I mean they'll bring in. wasps. Uh farmers will sometimes if they.

have like a insect issue because the. wasp is going to take care of that. naturally and you won't have to use you. know insecticide and stuff like that. >> No. So plus also bees are usually kind. of finicky I saw as far as what they'll. pollinate and what they won't. Wasps are. not at all finicky. They'll pollinate. whatever. So they're non- selective. pollinators which makes them like you. could use them to pollinate any kind of. crop which makes them pretty helpful. And so they control other crop.

destroying insects and they also. pollinate crops too. So they are pretty. useful. So that means that you shouldn't. just go around killing them. I think we. should say it again. >> No, you shouldn't kill anything except. mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks. >> And you also can't say, "Well, they're. they're a threat to humans." Cuz I. looked up some stats. Chuck, you ready. for this? >> Yeah. You're not going to get killed. with from a wasp, are you? >> No. I mean, yeah, but no, [laughter]. you're not. So, combined bees, wasps,

and hornets, and hornets are just. another type of wasp. >> Is that so? >> Yeah, [laughter]. I hadn't heard. Um, they kill about 62. Americans every year from anaphylactic. shock, right? >> Oh, wow. >> By contrast, 300 Americans die from. falling off of ladders every year. [laughter]. In the UK, get this, between 2006 and. 2007, eight people died from bees, wasps, or hornet stings. I'm including.

bees here, by the way. And then in. Australia, where you would guess that. half the human population is killed off. every year by bees and wasps and has to. regenerate every spring. Now, between. 2000 and 2013, there were only 27 deaths. total for th that 13 years from bees, wasps, and hornet stings, which is. pretty astounding. But it all goes to. say like, don't listen to the murder. hornet rap. The hornets and the wasps. aren't out to kill you. They don't want. you anywhere near their nests, but.

they're not like trying to to to wipe. out your family. They just want to be. left alone, basically. >> The murder hornet rep. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Now, here [clears throat] is a hornet. and it's here to say, [laughter] "I come. to kill. >> Fruity Pebbles in a major way.". >> Uh, I think I can't wait to relisten to. this one cuz I'm pretty sure you said. that they kill 62 million Americans. every year. >> No, >> I think you did. I might have been. hearing things. It might have been a. computer glitch. >> Just 62. Okay. >> Six to the two. I.

>> I really am curious on on uh if you said. million, so. >> we'll find out. That'll be an Easter egg. for us only. Uh, so yeah, don't kill the. wasps. If you have what you think is a. wasp problem at your house, [sighs]. you really don't, unless it's, you know, I mean, if you have a really big wasp. nest, like right above your front door. or something, I could see maybe a case. being made for removing it. uh having it. professionally removed. >> or if your kids are playing out back and.

there's a sinkhole from a yellow. jacket's underground nest where there's. hundreds of yellow jackets getting that. removed too. >> But in general like wasps aren't after. you. They don't want anything to do with. you. >> They're not aggressive toward humans. unless you come poking their thing with. a stick. >> Um I love this Robert says and this. takes like nerves of steel. He's like if. one lands on you uh don't panic. avoid. swatting it or making swift movements. and just kind of sit there and it'll. quickly fly off.

>> Like I I don't want to kill a wasp, but. if a wasp lands on my arm, I'm not going. to be like, "All right, little fella. You're just just going to give you some. time. >> Go mosy along.". >> No, I I would I would freak out and. flail. I wouldn't swat at it cuz I feel. like I would get stung for sure, but I. would definitely. >> sure. >> do a You know, >> right? You got to try not to do that. You have to listen to Robert and don't. panic. >> Good luck. >> Every time I see don't panic in the. wild, I just assume that it's a.

reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to. the Galaxy, don't you? >> Yeah, I think so. >> So, there's there's standing still. That's one thing. When one lands on you, um Okay, that's that's great. Things you. can do to keep them from landing on you, though, are to not wear white and yellow. outdoors. >> Yeah. Okay. >> I like white and yellow. They uh white or yellow doesn't look. good on me anyway. Um but those colors. attract insects. Um you don't want to. wear perfume because you may confuse.

them into thinking you're a flower. >> Sure. >> Um if you have your garbage can. uncovered, don't stand next to it. You. want to cover your garbage can. >> Yeah. Especially if you're us. We got a. >> We got the stink I always call it the. stinkiest garbage can in Atlanta. [snorts] That thing's so nasty. >> Ours is pretty bad, too. It's a lot of. years of cat litter. >> Oh yeah, that's a stink dog poop. >> Um, and then you uh you want Oh, you can. take down nests yourself if it's below.

60° Fahrenheit or 15.5° C because. they're probably dead in there anyway. So, it's a good time to take it down. But for the most part, we're just going. to go ahead and say don't take down a. wasp nest that you want out of your yard. by yourself. Just don't do it. hire a. professional. There are people who will. take money in exchange for coming to to. get a nest out of your yard. You can. give them money for that and they know. what they're doing. So, you can feel.

good about that about hiring them. And. it also supports local business, too. >> Yeah. And don't get that uh wasp spray. that sprays from like 20 feet away and. just go home and like attack these nests. with [snorts] poison. Just don't do it. No. >> Stop killing things. [sighs]. >> What else you got? I got one more thing. You have anything else? >> Nope. >> Okay. So, in Japan, it always circles back to Japan, doesn't. it, Chuck? >> Yeah. If if it's quality and good,

>> including their um um including the. Asian giant wasp as well as yellow. jackets and some other types of wasps. Japanese culture or culinary culture. loves wasp larvae. But to get wasp. larvae, you have to go out in the wild, find a wasp's nest in the summer, and. then take it back home without getting. stung, and raise the larvae yourself, and then when they're ready to go, you. harvest them and eat them in the fall,

which is pretty interesting in and of. itself, right? >> Yes. >> It gets even more interesting than that. because to find a wasp nest in the. woods, what they do is they take raw. fish. Japanese love raw fish, but they. share some of theirs with um wasps and. they leave it out as bait. And then when. a wasp shows up, they'll take chopsticks. and a little hunk of this this fish meat. that they have a string tied to and. they'll hand it to the wasp and the wasp. will fly off with the hunk of fish to. take back to its larvae, its eggs with.

the string dangling, which makes it. easier to follow back to the nest. And. after doing this a few times, they're. probably successful enough that they. track the wasp all the way back. they. don't lose it and they find the nest and. then that's when they take it home and. tend to the larvae and then they eat it. in the fall. >> That sounds familiar for some reason. I. might have heard that before. >> Ain't that cool? >> It's amazing. >> Amazing. Well, that's all I've got for. wasp Chuck. >> Wasp out. >> Uh so, uh since Chuck said wasp out,

that means it's time for listener mail. >> Uh I'm going to call this Adam. I think. you were wrong and Josh was referencing. they Might Be Giants. It's [music] a. long-winded title. >> Okay. >> Hey guys, in your episode How We Almost. Got Rid of Polio, you read a listener. mail uh that referred to how. flamethrowers work uh episode. However, I'm somewhat sad that the reference. wasn't made for the They Might Be Giant. song is Stanbul, not Constantinople.

Josh made the statement and it was a. wonderful wasted opportunity. Well, that's exactly what you're talking. about, right? Yeah, I said not Constantinople. >> Yeah, that you were talking about the. They Might Be Giant song, right? >> Yeah, of course. This guy doesn't get. me. >> He just didn't say, "Hey, by the way, that's a They Might Be Giant song.". >> Hey everybody, open up for the spoon. feeding. [laughter]. >> Uh, just thought I'd drop you both a. line. I love the show and enjoy. listening to it daily to and from work, [music] especially the wit and dry. humor. Even though it goes over your.

head [laughter] sometimes. >> Yeah, right. >> He said, "It's very much my style. So. much so that you aren't sure if that was. a joke even told. Wow, this is getting. very meta. You both make my commute. tolerable and enjoyable. Thanks, guys. That is from Adam P in Gulfport, >> Mississippi. >> Nice. Adam, for you from now on, whenever I make a joke, I'm going to add. waka at the end. [laughter]. >> That'll do it. >> It'll be just for Adam. Uh, thanks a. lot, Adam. We appreciate that. And thank. you for listening to us and for letting.

us rag on you. We do it lovingly and. jokingly. We hope you know. >> Of course. >> Uh if you want us to rag on you, well, you send us an email and see what you. get. Look up and see what you get. Uh. you can send it to stuffodcast@ [music]. iheartradio.com. >> Stuff You Should Know is a production of. iHeart Radio. For [music] more podcasts, iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. listen to your favorite shows.