- I know you're shaking
your heads right now saying, "Coyote, wait a minute. Are you coming out of sting retirement?" (intense music) Whew! I'm Coyote Peterson, and I'm about to be stung
by the cicada killer. Oh my goodness, that stinger's long. Here we go. (film reeling) (cat yowls)
(upbeat music) (lion roars)
(ground rumbling) (dramatic music) During the winter of 2020, the national media erupted
with a deafening buzz that venomously stung an unwarranted fear into homes across America. That buzz came from none
other than the giant hornet. Hailing as one of the most
painfully toxic stings in the world, these nightmarish insects
have a nasty reputation and they were defined as
murder hornets by the press. For anyone that is late to the party, yes, I have already been stung. And yes, it hurts a lot. Absolute searing pain! As for the invasion, no, we
aren't going to be overrun, stung, and killed by giant hornets. But some may argue that the
invasion has already happened. That's where I come in. It's time to set the record
straight and more importantly, it's time to take a
misidentified scapegoat off of the suspect list. (suspenseful music) Okay, let's get down to business. You showed up to see a full
grown man experience some pain, but first, you got to
learn a little something about this incredible insect. As my mom always used to say, "You can't have your dessert until you finish your vegetables." well, if that's not a
terrifying little insect, I don't know what it is. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the cicada killer, one of the largest wasp
species in the United States. This is only second to the tarantula hawk. Now this wasp is not
technically a spider wasp, like the tarantula hawk. This is in fact, a sand wasp. Now similar to the tarantula hawk, they have a very unique biological cycle. This one that you're looking
at right here is a female. It is the females that
get larger than the males and the females that are
armed with a venomous stinger. And what the females will do is search right under the
tree tops for cicadas. They will hone in on
their target, move in, and use that elongated abdomen to swoop up underneath their
prey and then sting it. They paralyze the cicada
similar in the way that a tarantula hawk paralyzes a spider. Eventually, the male cicada
killers fertilize the egg that she lays on top of
the paralyzed cicada. The female will physically
carry that cicada in its large mandibles and
it's grappling-hook-like legs back to its underground burrow. These burrows can be up
to 20 inches in length and they have multiple tunnels. At the end of each one of these tunnels, the female will place
the paralyzed cicada. Once that egg hatches,
it turns into a pupa and begins to feast upon
that paralyzed insect until it grows large
enough to build a cocoon. And then once it hatches out
of that cocoon the next season, another cicada killer comes
up from under the ground. If that's not a true war
story, I don't know what is. This is a very large
wasp and the easiest way to identify it are those
large amber-colored wings. When this creature is at
rest, like it is right now, the wings have a very
triangular shaped then, very different looking from
hornets or a spider wasp. You'll see there, when
she curls her wings back, it looks a little more concave,
similar to a giant hornet, which makes it really easy
to misidentify this species as that foreign invader. And when you look at
the front of the insect, it has enormous eyes. These wasps have incredible eyesight. They're primarily diurnal and you'll see them very active
on overcast, cloudy days. Again, they're using their senses to find the cicadas up in the tree, target in on their prey, and
then they will make a move. Now that thorax is rather
sizeable, very robust, but it's the abdomen
that is the most unique. That black and yellow coloration tells you that this creature is venomous. Aposematic means "Leave me alone. I am not something you
want to be stung by." Now, when it comes to the
demeanor of this wasp, to be honest, they're rather docile and very seldomly will they
ever interact with humans. In fact, the only time
you stand the chance of being stung by this insect is if you were to step
on top of its burrow and were to come up from
underneath you and try to escape. It would maybe sting your bare foot if you were blocking its escape way. Other than that, this is not a bug that is ever gonna go out of its way to try to interact with humans. Now during the summertime, you will oftentimes see
clusters of the males, battling it out up in the air. But other than that, these are considered solitary sand wasps. And no matter how you break it down, guys, to be honest, this is one
very intimidating insect, which makes it very clear as to why people are afraid of this wasp. Wow, seeing it buzz
around inside that capsule brings a number of flashbacks: the warrior wasp, the tarantula
hawk, the executioner wasp, and certainly, the Japanese giant hornets. But there is a very good reason as to why I'm going to be
stung by this wasp today. No, I'm not technically coming
back out of sting retirement. This is going to be a one
and only because right now, this insect has a very negative reputation by people misidentifying
it for the giant hornet. They're panicking and they're
aiming to kill this species but it is not something that
we need to be afraid of. So by getting this up
close for the cameras and by taking a sting, I can show you guys that that's thing is
not really that potent. Remember, it only ranks as a 2 on the insect sting pain index. Now that stinger is of
course, a modified ovipositor, which is used for depositing eggs. And while it is laced with venom, the venom of this species is
not necessarily that potent. However, I do not know how
my body is going to react to the sting, so we certainly
have an Epinephrine Pen on set just in case my body has
an allergic reaction. But if you guys are ready, I think it is time to
transfer the cicada killer from the capsule into the net. Let's get in the forceps and get me stung. This is the most delicate part, so I've got to really stay focused and make sure to get a
clean, secure hold, just... (intense music) Whew! Just like that, we almost lost it. Man, that is a very, very, very powerful, very powerful wasp. Ooh, buddy.
(gentle music) Okay, let me try this again. I mean, you have to think about it. This thing is capable of carrying a cicada that can weigh more than it does. It is a very, very powerful wasp. (Coyote grunting) I also have to be very
delicate and very gentle. I don't want to damage the insect's wings in any way whatsoever. She's got all these little hairs on her which makes her very slippery. That's where I'm struggling. I need to get it right. Right like that. (suspenseful music) Good girl. I got a good hold, I gotta go with it now. You guys in position? Whew! Okay, hands shaking. I'm Coyote Peterson, and I'm about to be stung
by the cicada killer. Oh my goodness, that stinger's long. Here we go. One, two, whew, three. (intense music) Ah! Oh, it got away. Ah, ooh! Whew! I lost it. It's the first time I've ever lost one. I must be rusty. (Coyote groaning) Get me more than once, too. Whoo! Were you able to see that? Were you able to see the sting? - [Mario] I think so. - Come and take, right there. Whew! Long stinger. Oh yeah, it's throbbing. Whew! Wow! Whew, okay. Really not that bad. Really not that bad at all. It got me there and there. (Coyote gasping) Ooh yeah, okay. Okay, here we go. Second rush of pain, second rush of pain. Nowhere near a velvet
ant or tarantula hawk. Nothing close to bullet ants
or some of those larger wasps. Wow, for such a long stinger. Very intimidating, really not that painful. It got good sings, oh yeah, skin is definitely tightening up. (light music) Common paper wasp at the most, not even on par with a honeybee. Not even on par with a
honeybee, I can't believe it. My first miss on the capsule. Well, it's certainly back
into the wild at this point. Without question, the strongest insect I have ever worked with in
one of these sting scenarios. Now here's my theory. For a spider wasp like the tarantula hawk, to go up against something
like a tarantula. That's an aggressive predator
onto its own with big fangs, so sting and your venom
has to be insanely potent. I don't feel any sense
of paralysis in my arm. When it comes to a wasp
like the cicada killer, when you're going to get this cicada with no stinging or biting parts, I could see why your sting
doesn't need to be so potent. Now a couple of minutes have gone by, and if you come over here and
you zoom in on my arm, Mario, you can see something funky
is happening on my forearm. Look at that welt. I thought I only got stung twice, but I'm seeing swelling here and radiating out now into my forearm. Now I do feel burning after the fact, but nothing more than a common wasp sting. There is an initial jolt, sort
of like an electrical shock, and I was anticipating the
paralysis of the tarantula hawk, but that pain went (squeals), and then it just kind of died off. Wow! How would that leads me to conclude is that while this may be
a very intimidating wasp, that is going to be confused
for the giant hornet, it is definitely not something
we need to be afraid of. I would say that the sting is no more than a 2 on the insect sting pain index. And even 10-year-old Coyote could have likely taken a
sting from this creature and gone right on into
swamps catching turtles. Now, when it comes to seeing
one of these wasps this summer, if you come across it in your backyard, remember, this is not a
creature that is out to get you. They want nothing to do with humans. And unless you're a cicada, you have absolutely nothing to fear. I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild. We'll see you on the next adventure. Whew! That was a good one. (light music) The science of stings will
always have a special place in my heart. And the painfully entertaining experiences we have caught on camera have brought to the spotlight a collection
of creepy creatures that have never been so celebrated. Giant hornets are not
going to invade America. And hopefully, this up-close
look at the cicada killer, despite its menacing
design and impressive size, has helped alleviate
some of your concerns. In an absolute worst case
scenario, if you are stung, it's not nearly as bad as their appearance would lead you to believe. Remember, they kill cicadas, not humans. And if there's one thing
I hope you walk away with, it's that these wasps
are noticeably docile unless trifled with. Leave them alone and let them live. So that's it. One last sting. I'm headed back into retirement, where I plan to enjoy
a long relaxing career of making more animal adventure content. Although there might be some
pretty extreme stuff coming up. I didn't say anything
about retiring from bites. (dramatic music)
(Coyote screaming) Ah! Ah! (Coyote gasping) Hey, Coyote Pack, if you love
our bite and sting content, and want to learn more, make sure to check out
our bestselling book, "The King of Sting"
and be one of the first to pickup my newest memoir,
"The Beast of Bites." To catch your copies, click on the link in the
video description below. And don't forget, join memberships so you can brave alongside me and the crew on our next wild adventure. (wolf howling)
(birds twittering)
What the fuck
*get gigged by a Cicada Killer
you did this...for what 😃
White people are crazy.
I don't want to go to this school anymore. I wanna go home.
I could not figure out why they had the insect on top of an Oreo in the thumbnail. It’s was horrifying when I realized it wasn’t an Oreo and the size of that stinger.
BRO AND YOURE TELLING ME HE ACCIDENTALLY LET IT GO? AND ITS HERE??? IN BCS???? NO NO NO NO NO THEY BETTER FIND IT
We get these every summer here in Dallas, for the uninitiated they are scary, as they are HUGE, but they never get close to us like the red paper wasps.
Had a few make burrows around my porch in my backyard this year. They really are big powerful insects. Had a couple fly by my head and scare the shit out of me because they sound like old WW2 bombers. It was awesome to see them bring back these big fat cicadas and effortlessly drag them underground. They were never aggressive towards me or my family. Which is good because I don’t know if I would be heavy enough to squash those monsters.