Original subtitles

I'm Coyote Peterson.

And I'm about to enter the sting zone with the executioner wasp.

Here we go.

Ah!

Ah!

Tell me what you're feeling.

I know it's hard.

Oh my gosh, it's bleeding.

All right, it's been about an hour and a half

since you were stung.

You tried the executioner wasp.

Tell us how it is right now.

Has is it really been that long?

Oh yeah.

Ugh.

You laid down right here on the tile

for like 40 minutes.

Oh, my whole arm is on fire and like all up and down, like,

in my joint right there.

Man, what a wallop.

I barely even remember the walk back,

but it was arduous, to say the least.

My arm is just like screaming in pain still.

It's, uh--

Your face is swollen around your eyes.

You know how it was like sort of intense pain?

I almost cried.

I think I almost cried, like, within the first couple

of minutes of the sting.

It was that bad.

Oh my god, that hurts!

So let me try to explain to you guys what's

going on with my arm right now.

So my hand feels really hot.

And it's kind of tough to squeeze my hand.

The actual sting zone, which is right here,

is incredibly sensitive to the touch.

Like, you just push on it a little bit

and it feels like a really, really deep bruise.

So that was the venom attacking my cells.

There's the actual spot where the stinger went in.

You see that little red mark?

Let me zoom in there.

And like most wasp species, they don't lose their stingers,

so the stinger is back in the animal.

And look here.

This is like-- my veins in this area are also very, very tight.

It almost looks like there's a broken blood vessel.

Yeah.

It's like a secondary swelling.

Yeah, like right there and it was like the venom immediately

got to about there on my arm.

Hey, Mario, would you do me a favor?

Will you grab my bag?

I'm going to put some Sting-Kill on my arm just

to see if that helps with the burning at all.

Because it's like-- oh man, it's like super warm on my face.

I'm going to try to get some Sting-Kill on my arm

here, see if that helps with the burning.

I'm going to just go ahead and bypass the sting wipes

and go straight for the capsule for relief at this point.

So can you walk us through what you can

remember right after the sting?

Um, yeah, I mean, it hit me like the tarantula hawk sting,

where I described it as being like electrical current.

Almost like if you've been--

you rub your socks on the ground in the winter and then you

touch somebody, there's a really, boom, like electrical

shock.

That's what the sting felt like initially.

Then the onset burning, I think I

described it as feeling like your skin getting

peeled off of your body.

So where the warrior wasp felt like pins and needles

and the bullet ant felt like somebody taking a hot poker

and sticking it into your arm, this is like flesh peeled back.

And, no, I don't know what it feels

like to have flesh peeled back, but I can imagine

that this is what it is.

Ugh, it's muddy down there.

Le me get that crushed up.

There you go.

Sting-Kill, can you go up against the executioner wasp?

We're gonna find out.

Point it at me.

Ow.

Ow.

Man.

Ow.

Ooh.

Ah man, my skin is just like burning.

It's honestly not providing much relief, to be honest with you.

It just hurts to touch the skin on my arm.

I'm going to not even do that.

Feel cool to your skin?

Nope.

Arm is burning it.

Actually, the skin is super sensitive.

Describe what the stinger looked like.

I mean, it took a few pokes, if you will,

for it to actually give you a sting.

Yeah, it was feeling around.

And then it's like it got really angry.

It fluttered its wings, and it got its abdomen

curled underneath and just--

I couldn't see it.

I don't know if you guys actually caught it on camera

or not.

I could just feel it, like a hot hypodermic needle

just pierced under my skin.

And what's interesting is that it went at an angle,

not so much straight down.

When the bullet ants stung me, the stinger went in

and then it kind of got itself stuck.

It spun around in a circle and then let go.

But this, it was at an angle.

And I don't know if that has something

to do with how much my skin hurts around this area right

here.

But, man, it's just intense.

I feel super out of it.

You know when you can feel like a fever coming on

and your body's real weak, and if you try to walk up

the flight of stairs in your house,

your legs aren't like giving you all of their oomph?

That's how my whole body feels right now.

It feels very drained, and that's probably

because it's my adrenaline and my body fighting off the venom.

You know, all of the blood cells around there

are being attacked, so it's my body

trying to centralize the venom and fight it off and dilute it.

And I just feel really out of it and really weak

right now, really weak.

And my hand, it's tough to make a fist.

I have a lot of pain right here at the joints of my elbow.

And just my forearm is just in searing pain right now.

As far as your curiosity goes,

like, are you going to continue to see if there's anything

more painful out there?

Or where does this go?

I mean, the fact that the warrior wasp did not

stop the bullet ant, I was kind of like,

is the sequel ever as good as the original?

But in a trilogy, is the third one better than the first?

I mean, I don't know.

We'll see what this cut's into.

But, yeah, for me personally and the experience

I've gone through, this pain has been the most intense,

and I'm still going through it right now.

It's been an hour and 45 minutes since the sting

and it is excruciating.

And we have a new top five now in the insect sting pain index.

And for me, it goes like this; velvet ant, warrior wasp,

tarantula hawk, bullet ant and last, certainly not least,

it is fair to say that we should all bend the knee because there

is a new king on the throne, and that king

is called the executioner wasp.

My arm hurts so bad right now.

The only thing I want to do is go

in, lay in the air conditioning, and get a cold bottle of water.

Hey, I got to remind you of something.

Yeah?

You know, Michael Jordan

came out of retirement once, but he also

came out of retirement twice.

Is there a chance you'll come out again?

I don't know, guys.

I think I'm done when it comes to stings.

The executioner wasp is king.

All hail the new king.

And, um, yeah, I've learned a lot.

And I think there has to be an end to the journey.

And for me, at least at this point,

I think it's safe to say that the executioner

wasp is the top.

It is the king.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see on the next location.

My arm hurts.

Look at that beast.

From its head to its thorax, everything about this creature

screams "run in the other direction."

Ah!

Oh, this thing's stuck in my arm!

Ah!

Oh, searing pain!

Absolute searing pain!

Stand by, stand by.

Coyote, breaking news here.

Yep.

Action.

Murder hornets?

This is breaking news.

Welcome to the "Brave Wilderness" news network.

I'm your host, Coyote Peterson.

And unless you've been living on the moon for the past five

days, I'm sure you've also seen the headline that's

been sweeping the nation, Murder Hornets and their invasion

here in America.

Well, guys, I got to tell you, murder hornets are not

going to invade America.

What I'm going to do now is to answer 10 of the most

asked questions that have been coming

in through the social media feeds.

We're going to address whether or not these hornets are going

to show up, what exactly a murder hornet is,

and whether or not you truly need

to be afraid of these seemingly terrifying creatures.

So if you guys are ready, here we go.

Question number one, what is a murder hornet?

Well, first of all the term "murder hornet"

was just created by the media to evoke fear in the public.

There is no such thing as a murder hornet,

and there is not any hornet species that is going

to murder humans, so to speak.

What they are scientifically known as

is Asian giant hornets.

You guys saw me stung by something known

as the Japanese giant hornet in 2018,

and that is one of the world's largest Asian hornet species.

There are multiple subspecies, and the one that showed up

in the Pacific Northwest is an Asian hornet of some sort,

but that does not mean that there

is an outbreak of these insects that

are about to take over the US.

Question number two, how big are they?

Well, given their name "giant hornets," they're really big.

In fact, most of the largest species measure

close to two inches in length with a three-inch wingspan.

In Japan, they refer to the Japanese giant hornet

as the great sparrow bird.

This is because the insect is so large,

it resembles a bird when it's flying through the air.

In fact, they're so loud, it almost

sounds like an Apache helicopter is getting ready to land

if one flies by you.

So trust me, you're going to hear it

far before you see it coming.

Question number three, how did they get here?

Well, first of all, let's not use the term "they."

Thus far, we have a single individual that has been found.

And keep in mind, it was also dead, which means it's

not going to be reproducing.

It didn't just get here on its own.

A hornet like that cannot fly all

the way across the ocean and end up in the United States.

That is physically impossible.

The animal would have exhausted itself,

died, and fallen into the ocean far before it made landfall.

The way that it likely got here was on a cargo ship.

This is one way that a lot of invasive species

end up on our soil.

They stowaway on a boat.

Once the boat docks, it realizes it's on land.

It escapes the boat.

And lo and behold, it's out there in the environment for us

humans here in the United States to encounter.

So that is likely how this hornet ended

up in the Pacific Northwest.

Question number four, how many are here now?

To be honest with you, I am not sure.

Is there more than one?

Possibly.

Entomologists are specifically working on this topic

now in the Pacific Northwest to determine whether or not

a nest and a colony has formed.

If that is the case, once they find it, it will be eradicated,

and it is unlikely that the spread of the hornets

will go any further than that.

So the concept of them moving from Washington

to New York City in the next 18 months, completely unlikely.

Question number five, how painful is the sting?

Second most painful insect sting in the world,

according to Coyote Peterson.

The pain is excruciating.

It feels like someone has shoved a red-hot poker into your arm

and does not remove it for close to six hours.

After I was stung, my arm had swollen up

to nearly twice its original size

and I was in intense pain for almost 36 hours.

Trust me, it is not something you want to get stung by.

But also keep in mind, it is only

the second most painful sting.

The most painful sting goes to the true king,

the executioner wasp.

Trust me, you don't want to be stung by that one either.

Question number six, how potent is the venom?

Well, it's quite potent.

And keep this in mind, a larger insect is going

to have a larger venom yield.

That means a single two-inch hornet is going to inject more

venom in its sting than something

like your typical backyard hornet.

Now, the venom does have neurotoxic properties, which

means that it does attack your nervous system,

but it also has some compounds that

can break down human flesh, which means

that it can cause necrosis.

So it is a very potent sting.

Just a single sting alone is more than a single human

would ever want to handle.

But several stings, let's say 20 to 30,

could potentially kill a human.

But death usually occurs as a secondary allergic reaction.

So it's not so much the stings as much

as it is being allergic to the insect's venom.

Question number seven, will the giant hornets

sting me for no reason?

No.

These hornets will not sting unless provoked.

And by provoked, I mean if you try to catch, try to kill,

or try to spray one of these creatures with an insecticide,

just like all hornets and wasps, if they feel threatened,

they will attack.

Now, a single hornet is likely to just leave you alone.

If you accidentally stumble upon a nest and disturb it,

that is how you get swarmed and that is the worst case

scenario that hopefully none of us will ever have to deal with.

Question number eight, who needs to be afraid?

Honestly, nobody, nobody that's human, that is.

Now, beekeepers definitely need to be aware, because it's

the bees that do need to fear the hornets, specifically

European honeybees because they have not yet evolved to a state

where they are capable of forming a defense

against these hornets' attack.

What the hornets will do is come in

and decimate an entire colony.

By stinging and decapitating all the worker bees,

they work their way in, eventually kill the queen,

and then they eat all of the larva.

Now, Asian honeybee species have worked out

a way through evolution to create a defense

against giant hornets.

They will form something known as a bee ball, where they will

surround a single hornet, beat their wings as fast as they

can, and raise that hornet's body temperature to the point

where essentially they cook it.

However, European honeybees have not figured out how to do this

yet, which means if giant hornets did become a stronghold

here in the United States, beekeepers

would definitely need to try to protect their colonies

from these hornets.

The biggest threat is that the hornets would come

in and wipe out our honeybees.

Question number nine, what should I do

if I see one of these hornets?

Well, you definitely don't want to approach it.

You definitely don't want to provoke it.

And you don't want to try to catch it or kill it.

If you can, from a safe distance, get a photograph.

Verifying the species identification

is the most important thing we can do right now.

Take that information and provide it to your local fish

and wildlife department.

They can help you properly identify the species,

and then they will get in touch with entomologists that

can come out into your area and determine whether or not

there is a hive or colony that has

taken root in an area near you.

Question number 10, is the hype real?

Are giant hornets going to invade America?

To be honest, I would say it's very unlikely.

Even if a colony has established itself in the Pacific

Northwest, entomologists are going

to track it down and destroy it long

before the hornets are going to spread from Washington

clear across to New York.

I'm so confident in saying that that I would come out of sting

retirement and get stung by one if it

was here in the United States!

That's right, that's right.

Coyote Peterson is coming out of sting retirement.

Print the headline!

You heard me right!

No, no!

That is not what I'm saying!

I'm not coming out of sting retirement.

See?

This is how things get out of control in the media.

It is all hype.

What I'm saying is that your odds of being swarmed,

let alone stung by giant hornets this summer is

virtually impossible, which means head out,

enjoy your picnics.

You're not going to be running into giant man-eating hornets.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

Breaking news, breaking news!

Giant man-eating hornets!

They're not man-eating!

I told you this!

Spider-murdering wasps?

This isn't breaking news!

We've had spider-murdering wasps in the United States

since the early settlers first set foot on the eastern coast

of North America!

But it is probably something we should talk about.

Good evening.

Welcome to the "Brave Wilderness" news network.

I'm your host, Coyote Peterson.

And this is 10 things that you probably need to know

about spider-murdering wasps.

Number one, what is a tarantula hawk?

Well, that's a great question.

It's actually the largest species of spider

wasp in the United States.

Now worldwide, there are close to 5,000 different spider wasp

species that range on almost every continent

except for Antarctica.

And, yes, they definitely target spiders.

So if you have arachnophobia, this creature should actually

be your new favorite animal.

Number two, how big are they as compared to a giant hornet?

Well, the tarantula hawk measures about two inches

in length, with a wingspan of somewhere between three

and a half and four inches, making it the largest wasp

species in the entire country.

Now, just because it's that big doesn't

mean that it's super fast.

And while it is not quite as robust as the giant hornet,

once it lands on the ground, it is quite agile.

And they rely on that speed to outmaneuver

the spiders that they're specifically trying to murder.

Number three, have they always been here or are they invasive?

Well, unlike the Asian giant Hornet, a.k.a.

murder hornets, spider wasps are native to the United States.

In fact, the tarantula hawk inhabits the Southwest.

It can be found in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas,

and even Southern California.

Watch out, Hollywood.

There's actually a good chance you've

seen a spider wasp before.

They have an aposematic coloration, which warns you

that they are venomous.

But they actually kind of look a lot like hummingbirds,

and there's a good chance you may have mistaken these wasps

for those teeny, tiny birds.

Number four, do they really murder spiders

and even tarantulas?

Yes, they do.

And here's the thing, they don't just murder spiders.

They literally take them hostage.

What a tarantula hawk will do is identify a tarantula's burrow,

swoop down and begin to pitter-patter

its feet around the opening.

This will draw the tarantula out, thinking that, oh my gosh,

maybe there's something there for me to eat.

Little does that tarantula know, it's about to run

into its worst nightmare.

And what the tarantula hawk will do

is outmaneuver the tarantula, swoop up underneath it,

and inflict a sting.

That sting has a venom so potent that it

paralyzes the tarantula.

Once the tarantula is in a state of paralysis--

and this is where it gets horrific-- the tarantula hawk

drags the tarantula back down into its own burrow

and lays a single egg on top of the paralyzed spider.

That egg eventually hatches, and the larva

burrows down into the spider and eats

it while it is still alive.

That larva pupates, eventually hatches, and then grows

straight out of the tarantula, like an alien,

turns into a wasp, and then the cycle repeats itself.

So if you thought the murder hornet was horrifying,

just try being a tarantula that has to go

up against a tarantula hawk.

Number five how painful is the sting of this wasp?

Let's just take a look.

Ah!

Oh!

Oh, ho!

That was one of the worst experiences

I have ever been through.

And believe it or not, the sting of the tarantula hawk

is only the fourth most painful sting in the insect kingdom.

It actually ranks below the bullet

ant, the Asian giant hornet, and the executioner wasp.

Now, the good news about the tarantula hawk sting

is that the intense pain only lasts for about five minutes.

After that, you'll experience some secondary swelling

and soreness.

But other than that, it's really not that bad.

Number six, will the tarantula hawk

sting humans for no reason?

Well, unless your name's Peter Parker, a.k.a.

Spider-Man, you have absolutely nothing

to worry about, because spider wasps

want nothing to do with humans.

However, in the Southwest, humans

do frequently encounter tarantula hawks

around their swimming pools.

The reason for this is the swimming pool is a great source

of hydration for these wasps.

Their bodies are so lightweight, they

will actually come down and land on the surface of the pool

to get a drink.

Now, if you see one doing this, don't try to catch it,

don't try to kill it, and don't try to scoop

it off with your pool strainer.

This could possibly provoke an attack,

and thus, result in a sting.

If you see one taking a drink, simply admire it

from a safe distance, and both you and the spider wasp

will be absolutely fine.

Number seven, do they swarm like hornets and bees?

No, they actually do not.

Solitary wasps live a singular existence.

They do not live in hives or colonies.

However, you will occasionally see congregations

of these spider wasps on flowering

plants because, like bees, they are technically pollinators.

So if you see a big group of them on a flowering plant,

you have nothing to fear.

They're just enjoying the flowers.

Number eight, who would win in a fight, a giant hornet

or a tarantula hawk?

Ooh!

That would be a pretty good match-up.

Although, at the end of the day, I would probably say the giant

hornet because of its robust size and its very

powerful mandibles.

Now, if the tarantula hawk did manage to maneuver

and get up underneath the hornet and inflict a sting,

it would send it into paralysis and technically win the match.

But based on brute strength alone,

I would definitely say the hornet has the upper hand.

Number nine, should we be terrified of tarantula hawks

this summer?

I would say it is very unlikely that if you live

in the Southwest you're even going

to encounter a tarantula hawk.

And to be honest, there's a good chance

that you've seen one before and just didn't recognize it.

Believe it or not, we have been living

in harmony with spider wasps since the dawn of mankind.

And very few people are stung every single summer.

And the good news is no sting has

ever resulted in human death.

Number 10, did you create this video

because the hype of stinging insects

is so popular right now?

Guilty as charged.

Given the buzz surrounding murder hornets, we figured,

why not remind everyone that they've

been living alongside spider-murdering wasps

for countless summers on end?

The point being is that while these creatures, while creepy

looking and capable of stinging, pose

absolutely no threat to humans.

Unless you're a spider, you have absolutely

nothing to worry about.