Becoming a gardener changed my relationship with wasps. They like to hang out on sunflowers and other tall flowers, waiting to mess up some pests.

In my entomology class, everyone was assigned a taxonomic family of insect to do a presentation on. I landed on ichneumonidae, a large family of parasitoid wasps that I already adored. I think I ended off the presentation with something like "I love wasps, even the scary ones, and I need you to love wasps too".

@pokeylope6108

9 ай бұрын

Ichneumonidae is prob my fave too.

@silverfox9004

9 ай бұрын

my favorite wasp family is pompilidae, but I love all the wasps lol. I wish people liked wasps more

@berserkape1014

9 ай бұрын

I've been stung way more this year then I ever have in the past and I still respect and love Wasps.

@LordOsiris372

9 ай бұрын

"I also made some enemies that day."

@ASMRyouVEGANyet

9 ай бұрын

Definitely don't love them 😂😂 you're never gonna sell it to me

Your work helps illuminate the tremendous beauty of the insect world. I started to respect these creatures more after becoming your subscriber. Thanks!

@user-sl6gn1ss8p

9 ай бұрын

Olha o ludo : )

I'm a huge wasp fan. Even the "scary" ones, as long as they're not nesting in a problematic location, are fine with me. So much pest control and pollination. And those Braconid cocoons on the hornworm caterpillar are a gardeners best friend!

@Goodroosters

9 ай бұрын

Yes!! Absolutely! I LOVE bald faced hornets, they're so neat!

@arher9598

7 ай бұрын

Saw them fly around my crops, and then flying with a catterpillar

Everyone always jokes about hating wasps, but I, for one, truly love them. They're decent pollinators, great pest control, and are fascinating to watch and learn about.

@wildsalmon8410

9 ай бұрын

I love, red wasp, stinging therapy🚬🫠 with a little bit of fire ants on the side 🔥🐜

@oliverscratch

9 ай бұрын

Where I live in Southern California paper wasps were once abundant. We had multiple nests under the eaves and in the hedges every Summer. About fifteen years ago we had our first wasp-less Summer, and I have not seen a single paper wasp since. We have experienced a steady decline in the number and variety of insects of all types since then. The exception is flies - we have lots and lots of flies. I don't know what worries me more, the dramatic change in the biota or the fact that no one else seems to have noticed.

@devinmcgroot7560

9 ай бұрын

I just saw a yellow-jacket with a FAT abdomen literally a minute ago. Slow notion really showed me that they're beautiful. It's like a butterfly lol. Also they are very important for the ecosystem and the environment. It also helped that I smoked a joint while this happened.

@rachelspencer8887

9 ай бұрын

I’m always reminding people that they’re important pollinators 😂❤

@CallMeMimi27

9 ай бұрын

also they hurt people for fun. and I hate people! wasps are awesome

It hasn't accoured to me that wasps could be this beautiful

great video, there aren't nearly enough people out there who highlight the beauty, diversity, and intricacies of wasps

I used to be really afraid of wasps (an early childhood memory where I stepped on a nest and didn’t realize until they all started stinging me-the first sting was right in the perineum). I hated wasps. But in recent years I’ve been looking at every living thing as the magnificent creature it is. I never would’ve guessed that insects can exhibit personalities! As far as wasps, now if there’s one stuck inside a café, climbing the window looking for a way out, I’ll let it crawl on my hand and I’ll take it outside. The relationship totally changed. They can be so gentle, so adorable.

@waxwinged_hound

9 ай бұрын

I legitimately winced at reading where you got stung. That sounds like it was excruciating.

@ianswift3521

8 ай бұрын

lol it's worse getting stung under the eye. @@waxwinged_hound

Wasps feel like the bug version of those angry lookin modern angular cars with v8 engines and road-raging impatient drivers

Wasps are one of my favorite insect groups. Theyre so fascinating and important as both pest control and pollination. We dont realize how much they do for us and their ecosystems by removing a percentage of plant eating insects. Theyre so beautiful and diverse and fascinating. And mostly chill! I spend a lot of time observing them in my yard for fun, and ive yet to be stung. My favorite groups are probably Sphecids and Mutillids, but there are many many amazing and beautiful wasps out there. Edit: this is like the most Wasp-positive comments section ive ever seen! Heck yeah!

I love wasps! They are just amazing. Really wish more people could see that.

Wasps are amazing. You got me taking a closer look in our garden. 17 different species so far. Some large (Great Golden Digger) and some small (Blue Eyed Ensing). Thanks

If you get a wasp in your house. Found the best and easiest way to deal with them is to stand by an open door/window, snap twice about a second apart, and then quickly point out.

The black and white patterning of that wood wasp is gorgeous! The white floppy antennae, big round eyes and endearingly clumsy takeoff make it look kind of cute.

I think the “scary” wasps are fascinating too- they’re cool in the same way birds of prey are, efficient hunters on a tiny scale. I work in gardens inches from flowers swarming with hunting and nectaring wasps, and I’ve never been stung. Beautiful video work, people don’t realize the beautiful colors and stunning iridescent, cellophane like wings that these insects have. And they’ve come up with so many ingenious adaptations and life histories to survive in the ecosystem!

@Enoploteuthidea

7 ай бұрын

My go-to description for them for the non bug people is that if they think of bees as friendly dogs, than wasps are the wolves- big, strong, respectable predators that are an important part of a healthy ecosystem.

wasps are one of my favorite groups of insects. they've always been special to me. i had the honor of watching a paper wasp building her nest recently, i just sat and watched for hours. absolutely beautiful and intelligent creatures.

Simply fascinating! I'd love to see damselflies and dragonflies in flight!

@Morgan-oq7uj

9 ай бұрын

damselflies yes please!!

Most "pest" wasps over here (western Europe), are pests because they occasionaly sting during foraging. I got over my fear of wasps by feeding them and moving slowly, and predictable. Works exactly the same way with wild horses, funnily enough. If you get scared, and move fast, you might be seen as a threat. Move slow and confident, and they won't harm you. If you are allergic, take care, and a epipen. I've got a small pupae cabinet, of Aglais Io butterflies, probably infected by parasitoid wasps. Would have liked them to grow up as butterflies, but they have become food. Got stung by the nettles, which I foraged for food. Such is nature. And life as a whole.

Amazing shots! Our crew got on camera wasps that live in symbiosis with figs. The tree depends on the wasp to pollinate its flowers, but in return, it offers a hidden place for the insect to lay its eggs. The footage is incredible!

It’s so cute the way they raise their arms when they took off flying

@HissoriRenda

7 ай бұрын

Like Superman I love that

I so very much enjoy your videos. They are wonder-fully done and opening up a whole new world for my exploration. I am enormously grateful.❤

you have changed my view on insects completly, i am very grateful!!!

Wasps are by far my favorite insects and always have been since I watched a mud dauber emerge from its mud cocoon after feeding on a stunned spider its thoughtful mother packed away for lunch, sedated and ready to be consumed alive.

I've had very bad experiences with wasps when I was a kid but I still can't help loving them. I just think they are really neat.

I watch this one wasp that likes to pick up spiders and fly up to a tree, it always goes to the same spot because there are so many spiders. The spiders dart away into hiding spots but with persistence the wasp catches one

Where I work, I am very open for my love and fascination of wasps. I even managed to convince some people theyre cute. One person dismissed them as wannabees, but then I told him that its most likely the other way around, in that bees are wannawasps. It was enjoyable to see everyones reactions. I hate autocorrect

@Newfiecat

8 ай бұрын

It's true! Bees evolved from wasps.

As a few year Polistes paper wasp keeper, I indeed appreciate them on another level

suuuper cool. over time wasps are really growing on me more and more with how diverse they are

Learning about wasps was why I decided to pursue entomology in the first place. beautiful video showing off one of natures most beautiful beings. Also I got called the wasp whisperer at my part time job and I'm rolling with it

This is so freaking cool! Thanks for sharing it with us. I'm learning more about the food web all the time. Such great footage, too. Sharing this one for sure!

thank you so much for the hard work you put into these videos! I can't imagine the hours involved in collecting specimens and lining up great shots

Just such top notch stuff as always!

One of my most cherished entomological moments was seeing a whole bunch of giant ichneumon wasps ovipositing into an old dead tree with pigeon horntail holes. Their ovipositors are so insanely long, to get them positioned right to go into the tree, they have to suck the ovipositor out of its sheath and coil it up inside their abdomen, where it stretches out a yellow membrane. Once they've finished ovipositing, the whole process starts over again as they coil up the ovipositor to pull it out of the trunk. Best hour I ever spent staring at a tree! I was also excited to see the Trogus, as I have a special fondness for them. I've reared quite a few spicebush swallowtail caterpillars and gotten Trogus sp. wasps out of them twice. They are truly elegant and as lovely as the butterflies!

Beautifully informative video! Keep up the great work

Amazing motion captures. Thanks for sharing!

I love how they fly by doing a little hop and throwing their arms up into the air, then flailing them around

So cool! I still find them a bit unsettling but also fascinating

I have been doing too much reading about wasps lately. Truly a fascinating insects. This video could not have been better timed for me!

I love watching and learning new things with you. This is a great channel to watch. Thank you for your hard work.

The filming is beautifully done.

Wow that's some amazing footage. Great video.

Everytime one of these videos comes out I am excited to see it!

I’m always elated when someone makes educational content about wasps. So many people think of wasps like yellowjackes as just bees that are mean for no reason, but they’re a really beautiful and diverse group of insects People might find parasites scary, but I find it super cool how each species has adapted to target very specific hosts, sometimes choosing only a single other species to lay their eggs.

@sightline4004

9 ай бұрын

I was stung laying in bed trying to fall asleep by a yellow jacket, they will absolutely sting you just because. Come to Texas and I'll show you.

I love your videos. Both for the educational value and the entertainment. Keep them coming.😊

@AntLab

9 ай бұрын

thanks!

thank you very much for these works and for sharing this with me!!!

I love this channel. Thanks for filming all of these creatures.

I just love your channel!

I found your channel in studio research. I've only recently become interested and I'm blown away! Yours is the most amazing closeup footage of a bald faced hornet I've seen and I've got quite a bit of it. So cool! Thanks for this.

I love wasps and I love this comment section! Thank you for making this video and filming all of them, it's incredible to watch!

Thoroughly enjoyed this video. Might be my favorite one yet!!

Amazing! I love the body structure of wasps, there's so many variations. I lived in Arizona for a while and I managed to see a few tarantula hawks which are massive and kind of intimidating, but very beautiful. I also love mud daubers, they are strange looking and build nests out of clay which is fascinating to me. Thanks for your videos!

I love your videos, seeing these videos of insects taking off is so fun. Thank you!

Wow! I didn’t know sawflies were at all related to bees, wasps or ants despite them being hymenopterans. Also, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the slo-no shots you get to capture! Truly amazing and unique stuff!!

gotta appreciate this guy for being brave enough to shrink himself and film these wasps for us

Beautiful. Thank you for the careful presentation.

First time seeing one of your videos. Instant sub. This kind of content is what the internet should be about. Amazing!

I loved that the bald faced hornet was keeping one foot on the ground while still flying. Also that middle leg jumper was so cool!

This was incredible, I had no idea what a huge portion of global wasp diversity are parasitoid wasps. It amazes me that so many of these species have a unique relationship with a single family or species of plant or insect that they depend on for successful feeding and reproduction. It reminds me of the dynamic pollinator/plant relationships that we often observe in nature. Great video!

Superb, thanks for your work.

Bald-faced hornets are gentle away from their nest. I have videos and pics of me getting D. maculata to crawl around on my hand after persistently putting my fingers in front of them- on my FB page. I've never been stung doing this. They keep invertebrates feeding on plants in balance and are an important part of the web of life. The Hymenoptera are my favorite insects because I'm a plant guy. They're interconnected whether they protect and pollenate, of feed on on them- like sawflies and gall wasps. edit: spelling

Thanks to your video my swat away reflexes towards wasps will be a lot less now!

Incredible as usual

That was fascinating, great video

Wasps are amazing and interesting insects and i even think they are cute. Sadly most people are scared of them and therefore want to get rid of them. Those insects deserve more love.

thank you so much for this video. i am scared of wasps and hornets but seeing how they usually are just super cool parasitoids is relieving. some of them are actually really cute too. okay now i love wasps.

Totally amazing!!!

I legit love wasps. So diverse and interesting.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE WASPS!!!!! THANK YOU FOR THIS!

Man I loved seeing this and who knew I’d have a favorite wasp now 😂 thanks

This is a nicely put together video! Had no idea how much I wanted to know this. Being able to convey this much understandable information to a high 63yo idiot like me is worthy of praise! Subscribed! 🤩

That was awesome. I learned a lot thanks

Excellent, very well done.

Great shots. Great insects. Interesting information Thanks!

Awesome video!

Beautiful video! The more I learn about wasps, the more I love them. Videos like these are great for education and spreading awareness of the underestimated value wasps have to offer. I'm also loving the wasp love in this comment section!

This is fabulous! I am studying wasps and bees and their relationships to native plants in our backyards and I finally have heard first hand how to pronounce ichneumonid!!

i specially love the shot of the first wasp, its amazing how you can see it's torax deform as it flaps it's wings

Great stuff! Thanks.

theyre so adorable

Awesome job! Look at the thorax! You can see its movements. So much details. Wow.

Excellent video and information. I also am a Wasp fan and in Minnesota we have the Great Black Wasps that are considered a pollinator and feed on nectar.

Very beautiful video ❤

Excellent video

Ok, I'm now completely freaked out but this video is SO well done!! A lesser video would not have me this freaked out.

I studied entomology and love wasps, but I was once attacked by a nest of yellow jackets while doing fisheries field work. I was carrying a large bundle of long-handled nets down a steep hillside and the handles hit near a nest. The wasps immediately swarmed me as I struggled to clamber back up the bank and then I ran down the road to get as far from the nest as possible. I was wearing a ponytail and they were inside my hair biting and stinging my head and neck. I had on chest waders so they got stuck down my waders stinging. Had a 90-minute drive on dirt roads to the hospital for a shot of Benedryl. I was sick the next day and my face was swollen and it looked like I had been punched in the eye. I'm ultra sensitive to the sound of humming wasps and bees now, that's for sure. 😂 Massive respect for them. 🐝

Awesome video 🤙🏼

Pretty amazing, thanks!

Amazing detail

I love wasps. Now I love them more. Thanks for this video!

god that was such an incredible video! i was learning so much, i just wish it could have gone forever 😅

Fantastic!

Holy shit, you filmed this? - Amazing work! Insects are sooooo interesting! Ants BLOW MY MIND, for example!

This was super cool

My mom has somehow made friends with the wasps around her house. When she goes to garden they follow her around and land on/around her and just watch what she's doing. They've figured out that her funky human activities stir up things for them to eat! An unfortunate side effect is that they're now very friendly and curious of people and will come buzz you when you walk around outside. Scary at first, but they generally get the message if you shoo them off. Social insects are way more intelligent and amazing than I think humans even realize!

Awesome watching the wings...

They’re so cute up close!

Thank you for this, it's beautiful ❤ As an entomologist with a special interest in hymenoptera, I absolutely love this video 🐝

Incredible!

Wasps have velcro wings? haha, that's cool. I once heard someone say that for every single insect species there is at least one parasitoid wasp specificly evolved to lay its eggs in that species. Not sure if that's true, but there sure are a whole damn lot of wasp species!

Really interesting, thank you veri much🐝🐝