Submitted 13 hours ago by gigastasio@sh.itjust.works to [deleted]
https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/a6aec52c-b76a-40b2-bf04-f9858a30d427.jpeg
Y’all sleeping on black soldier flies.
They’re copycats that look like mud daubbers, but have no ability to sting or bite. They don’t readily transmit human diseases, and they compete with noxious species like house flies and roaches. Present in most places across the globe.
Their larvae are the most-efficient known converts of input biomass to output protein, they can compost most household foods quite easily, and they’re an excellent animal feed.
Bastards
When I was a teenager, I grew up in the country so we had wasps everywhere. I hated them. One morning in the summer I was dead asleep–until I was awakened by a wasp that stung me in the fucking neck. So this asshole had to fly into my room decide to land on me, probably crawl around a bit and then decide “Fuck this guy right here NNNNNNG”. I was so goddamn angry and confused. I had to get up and tend to the sting because I swell like a moteherfucker. However, being a lazy teenager, I went back to bed. I woke up about 10 minutes later because I then felt it CRAWLING ON ME AGAIN. I was so fucking furious, I just monkey pounded it into a million little pieces with my fists in the mattress.
Fuck wasps, I spent many years capturing them, holding them with tweezers and slowly cooking them over a candle. Not sorry.
Wasps are pollinators too 🥺
SOME wasps are, and often not very good ones.
Yellowjackets aren’t anywhere near prolific enough at pollination (or the insect corpse cleanup they specialize in) to make those flying terrorists worthwhile.
Solitary wasps are cool, though, they can stay.
Astonishing how often I see someone start swatting at a paper wasp when it gets curious.
The fuck? It’s like a dog smelling you, but that dog has a stinger. You don’t swat at the fucking thing. You chill out and act real casual. Maybe pretend you didn’t even notice it. What wasp? I didn’t see any wasps. Now check my back so we can get our asses inside.
Unintentionally pressed my elbow into a hive if red paper wasps.
STRAIGHT FUCKING FIRE 🔥🔥🔥. Don’t recommend it. 3\10.
In my experience, the paper wasp description applies to the yellow jackets. They are fairly common around outdoor eating areas around here, especially near the garbage cans. I find they mostly just check out the food, though they will check you out, too, and will sometimes get right into your face, but I’ve found a good way of reclaiming your space is to slowly push them away. You probably won’t even make contact with them while you do so because they react fast.
Though I’ve also noticed that they (and bugs in general) are more interested in some people over others and I’m lucky to be on the low interest to bugs side of the spectrum.
The myth that bumblebees shouldn’t be able to fly according to science needs to die.
They wouldn’t be able to fly in an outdated, simplified model, where you just plug in their wingspan, weight and how fast they move their wings against air resistance.
If you account for the fact that air molecules are a lot larger relative to their size than to a bird’s, and therefore air acts more like water at that small scale, it’s no surprise they can fly, and scientists know that.
I remember watching a video from a physicist who failed her pilot’s license exam because she explained that and the modern theories of how airplane flight works instead of the old wingspan, weight, speed, and air density over the wings model.
Needless to say, she took the test again, gave the answer they wanted, and the video was about her building a plane out of wood about a month after she finished the launch of her Mach 2.1 capable model rocket.
Well that sounds cool. Got a link?
I was eating some chicken outside.
A yellow jacket buzzed around.
So I held a little teeny-tiny piece of it for it.
Things seem to be okay; but then I felt it.
Was it a sting or was it a bite?
Maybe it mistook my thumb for some of the chicken—chicken is often greasy.
It wasn’t really painful, but I decided it wore out it’s welcome, so I probably flicked it away.
I don’t think I ever saw it again.
At another time, a few came through my window.
So I put some syrup on a cap to see what will happen.
A few more flew in.
They drank it up—they sure seem to like syrup a lot.
I guess after they had their fill, the flew away—“buzzed off” if you will.
Wait I can PET BUMBLEBEES?!
Bumblebees are pretty gentle, and whereas I used to be extremely scared of bees (and especially bumblebees because of their size), I find them adorable to observe up-close now that I’ve gotten over my fear.
However, the question I would ask regarding petting is: why? When I pet a household dog or a cat, it’s ideally because I think it comforts them, and at worst (if they’re mildly annoyed and I don’t realize), it’s never going to harm them.
For the bee, though, it’s probably strictly uncomfortable for them to have a being 50,000 times their size come up and start putting pressure on them. (Bees can distinguish noxious stimuli, but they do still respond somewhat to regular tactile stimulation; see p.3.)
Their wings and legs are fragile, and it’s not like they can’t be accidentally provoked into stinging you. If they’re just minding their own business, it’s really best to leave them alone, because at best you’re not comforting them, and at worst you’re physically harming them.
That’s a really well argued paragraph. But have you considered: why pet shaped if not for petting?
(Jokes aside though. Point taken. But there’s nothing you can say to kee p me from talking to them in baby talk from now on when I’m out gardening amongst them. Whose a big stripey boy? Yes you are, aren’t you? :))
What about wood bees? If I knock them out with smoke are they chill enough to pet? If I use good smoke?
You can (very, very carefully!) pet the top of their thorax when they’re not flying, such as when preoccupied with feeding at a flower, although as TheTechnician27 outlined, it’s probably not good for them. Better is if you can find one that’s struggling to fly (semi-common this time of year, when things are still warming up) and then you can warm the little guy in your hands if they’re cold or chauffeur them from flower to flower if they’re hungry. Often this will help them regain the strength to keep flying, but sometimes they never do; I assume in these cases they’re dying, but at least I gave them some hospice care. It’s very strange to deposit a struggling bee on a flower, watch it feed, and then see it wiggle its little feet in the air like it’s calling the magic carpet back for another lift.
Definitely, I boop them all the time in the spring when they are swarming the flowers.
They’re floofy!
Honey Bee
is the bee that needs help the most
I’d argue the opposite. There are thousands species of solitary native bees in small niches that need help way more. By contrast honey bees are either livestock or feral livestock that competing with the native bees.
Yay came here for this. I was all excited to start a couple of beehives in my back yard. Then I discovered their lineage and what they’re doing to the native bees. Instead I realized I am hosting tons of huge ass bumblebees in my yard, and I’ll just let them be(e). Maybe get some of those bee houses for solitary bees instead.
I love bumblebees so much. Just saw a couple flying in 70km/h wind gusts today. So stupid. So graceful
Five minutes is a long time when something hurts like a mf.
This would be welcome on !coolguides@lemmy.ca (which sorely needs content)!
I love watching the carpenter bees at my house. The ones that are on patrol follow the most exact flight patterns, it’s crazy. They always fly the same narrow lane, same height, stop and hover at the same spot for the same length of time. It’s amazing to watch.
Hoverflies are so sweet, sometimes there’ll be one or two hovering near me and I’ll just stick out a finger for them and they’ll chill there for awhile.
Makes me feel like a Disney princess but with bugs 😊
Even been stung by paper wasps twice. First time I was a child and freaked out cause, again, child. Second time was just a few years ago helping a neighbor move a dryer. Such my hand all up inside that nest and caught massive a half dozen stings before I figured out what was going on. It seriously felt like slight electric shocks, but the pain faded in a matter of minutes and wasn’t all that bad during that time.
when i was about 10, i was climbing on the picnic pavilion at the park. I had got to the roof and went to get down by holding the edge of the roof and rolling/flipping off of it. I got a firm grasp of paper wasp nest with one hand and halfway through my flip down, i felt the stings. Let go and fell flat on my back in the mulch then booked it home faster than ive ever run.
Went down a metal slide once and a swarm of them came out of one of the top poles. Swarmed my throat and stung me several times there. Survived, but it was horrible.
I had carpenter bees at my old house that were so tame I could grab them out of the air and pet them.
stop demonizing wasps ffs. they’re just trying to live
Nah fuck those things
They’re not though, they’re going out of their way to attack stuff 10,000,000,000 times its weight. For nothing.
Since when? Either you bothered them, or they just came close to you out of curiousity. Stop pretending that an entire species of animals are assholes just because you are too ignorant to even try to understand them.
They can be quite fearless.
Where the killer bees?
They’re right behind you.
Asia, where they belong (and stay there!)
Last time heard about them is they are in the states and have killed people here.
Dirt Dauber looks like an RPG Munition
One time as I was turning down my bed a paper wasp (or possibly grass wasp, I didn’t get a chance to ask it) that was hiding in the sheets stung me on the hand. And now I hope I can share some of that previously unrealized fear with all of you.
Okay can I actually pet bumblebees or is this just a meme?
Yes, but you still have to bee careful.
Yes (but maybe you shouldn’t). See: lemmy.world/post/45251643/23076623
bearboiblake@pawb.social 13 hours ago
Honey bees don’t actually “need help the most”, they’re widely kept for honey production. Solitary wasps are much more endangered. Not yellowjackets, though, fuck those guys.
Typhoon@lemmy.ca 12 hours ago
European honey bees are an invasive species in a lot of places. They’re actually part of the problem because they are imported for our use and crowd out the native bees.
Town@lemmy.zip 12 hours ago
This is also not at all comprehensive. There are many thousands of species of wasps and native bees. Not to mention all the yellow stripy flies that mimic wasps.
evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
Yellow jackets are generalist predators. As long as they aren’t making a nest somewhere real close to where you want to be, they are good at killing a whole lot of pests.
bearboiblake@pawb.social 9 hours ago
It was just a little joke really, I’m not going to war with yellow jackets or anything, but one did sting me for no reason once, so tensions do remain high between our cultures.
Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 12 hours ago
I think it was meant as in ‘we need to build them hives and stuff’ who knows. Definitely don’t need much help, those guys
tyler@programming.dev 3 hours ago
They’re pretty dumb. They drown in my bird bath constantly.