- If the bullet ant
is the grand finale on my quest to find
the most painful sting in the insect kingdom, the tarantula hawk is
definitely the last act. And right now Mark is
shooting B roll of it inside this little
glass enclosure. And boy, it does not look happy. (intense buzzing) Now they say that the
sting of the tarantula hawk is number two on the
insect sting pain index. It's like being
stunned with a tazer and they say it puts
you into a state of paralysis for
up to five minutes where all you can do is scream. As you can tell, we're
pretty excited about this. - [Mark] All right Coyote. (deep breathing) You okay, man? Your heart racing? - A million miles a second. This is the most
nervous I've ever been to take a stinger
bite from anything. My hand is shaking. Are you guys all ready? - [Mark] Oh yeah, I'm
ready if you're ready. - I'm ready, I'm ready. Here we go. I'm Coyote Peterson. And I'm about to
enter the sting zone with the tarantula hawk. - [Mark] Go for it. - One. (exhaling) Two. Here we go, three. (screaming) (drum beat) (roaring) I think we can all
agree that I have done some pretty crazy things. Like the time where
I stuck my arm into the mouth of an alligator, to show you why getting
an alligator as a pet is not a good idea. Ready, everyone ready? Rolling, GoPro rolling. Here we go. One. Two. Three.
(screaming) Ooh yeah, he is into my arm and he is holding on. Then there was the time
I put that same arm into a container full
of blood sucking leaches to show you what it's like to be feasted on by
one of the world's most notorious parasites. Look at that. They are all over me. Oh, I can definitely
feel something happening. It feels like sandpaper
grinding against my skin. You guessed it, they
drank a lot of blood. And it's all about the
amount of anti-coagulant that actually went into my hand. I may be bleeding for
hours at this point. Oh yeah, then there
was that time I took a sting from the velvet ant. Which is ranked as
having the fourth most painful sting in
the insect kingdom. (dramatic music) (yelping) (groaning) Oh my gosh, guys,
this is super bad. Like I said, I do some
pretty crazy things. But the reason I do
them is so we can learn about these animals, the dangers of their
bites or stings, and so that ultimately
we walk away with a newfound
respect for some of the coolest creatures on our planet. (screaming) Aah! (groaning) Oh that hurts. Ow! Ah! (screaming) Ah, can you see that? (deep breathing) Oh man, this was not a good
idea, ladies and gentlemen. Woo doggy. However, in order to be a
part of these experiments, I have to first get myself
up close with the animals. And sometimes that's
easier said than done. - [Man] Careful! He's gonna get it. I think he sees it. Oh. What happened? Go, go, go! (hollering) What's wrong, did you catch it? - Yeah, I caught it. Oh, but the bad news is, I caught something else, too. - Oh my goodness. That is the worst cholla
spike I've ever seen. - Oh, hold on a second. Hold on, hold on, I
don't wanna get stung by a tarantula hawk. - [Man] They're
all over you, man. (screaming) - Hold on a second, let
me get this under control. - [Man] Oh my gosh. Did you get the
tarantula hawk, at least? - I did, I did, I caught
the tarantula hawk. - [Mark] You nervous? - [Coyote] Do I look nervous? - [Mark] Yep. - Yeah, guys, I am
the most nervous I have ever been before one of
these bite or sting episodes. As we know, yesterday I
made this awesome catch. I caught a tarantula hawk
and I was so excited. And then I fell into
a cholla cactus. (screaming) And then I realized
what I had done. I set the table for today where I'm going to be stung by a giant spider wasp. Now, the tarantula
hawk is the second most painful sting in
the insect kingdom. The only thing more
painful than this is the bullet ant and
I felt that to work my way up the rungs of
experiencing these painful insect stings, I kind of had to
see what it was like to be stung by a tarantula
hawk before I actually take on the bullet
ant challenge. Woo, deep breath. All right, let's
bring in the wasp. Oh boy, this is gonna be bad. Oh. - [Man] Oh boy. - Oh my goodness. - [Man] That's a big one. - That is the largest
species of wasp in the United States,
ladies and gentlemen. Now, you look at this insect
and you say to yourself, tarantula hawk, well
it's not a tarantula and it's not a hawk. But like a hawk they
hunt for tarantulas. What these females will do
is fly around in the sky and they can actually
sense chemicals in the air that will tell them where a
tarantula's burrow exists. They will land on the ground, skitter across, and go
down into the burrow. They will use their front
arms to tempt that tarantula to come up out of its burrow. And that is where a
boxing match begins. The tarantula hawk will
dodge left and right, taunting that tarantula
until it rears up on its back legs and
exposes its fangs. Now, you would think that
tarantula is going to bite down and kill
the tarantula hawk. Not gonna happen. This hawk is so quick, she will spin her
abdomen up underneath the belly of the tarantula, insert that quarter
inch stinger, and the venom will
instantly put that tarantula into a state of paralysis. Now, the tarantula is not dead. It's just like this. (groaning) I'm in intense pain
and I cannot move. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where the true
horror story begins. It's in a state of
paralysis and the female pulls the tarantula back
down into its burrow and there, she proceeds to lay
an egg on top of its abdomen. She then leaves the burrow and the tarantula is left there, still alive and in a
permanent state of paralysis. Eventually that egg hatches, and the larvae then
eats the tarantula while it's still alive. How's that for one
crazy horror story? Okay, so they say that the
sting from the tarantula hawk is so painful it
will put even a human into a state of paralysis
for about five minutes. I know what you're thinking. Coyote, this is
absolutely crazy. Do you wanna know what
Coyote's thinking right now? This is absolutely crazy. But I think if you
guys are ready, I am ready to be stung
by the tarantula hawk. Here we go guys. Chance, bring in
that butterfly net. I'm gonna lift this up. We're going to actually
place the capsule inside of the butterfly
net just like that. Lift it up and I have a set of entomology forceps here. See that? And these have a very soft tip. I'm gonna be able
to pick up the wasp with these forceps. What I'm gonna do first
is reach my arm in there and remove the glass capsule. Once the glass capsule's out, the net will fall
down on the wasp and I'll be able to insert
the forceps in there, pick up the wasp, and remove it from the net. Okay, ready, here we go. - [Mark] The butterfly
net is here to try to prevent the wasp
from flying away. - Yes. [Mark] Because how hard was it to catch this wasp? - Extremely difficult. We've been trying for days
to catch one of these. And it was a very painful
experience to get it based on the fact that I fell into the cholla, okay,
ready, here we go. You ready? - [Mark] I'm ready. - I'm removing
the glass capsule. Trying not to disturb the wasp. Okay, this is good. - [Mark] Part one, successful. - Part one is good, I'm
gonna remove the stick. Stick is out. Okay, now I'm going to
fold this over like that. - [Mark] This is the
last little break between you and being stung, what's going through your mind? (deep breath) - What's going through my
mind is don't get stung right now just through the net. I have to get it perfectly
with the entomology forceps. If I don't get it
right on its thorax, we can't make this happen. - [Mark] I don't know, man, I think you're kind of stalling. - I'm not stalling. Trust me, I'm not stalling. Oh boy. - [Mark] Careful. Oh boy. - Got it. - [Mark] Oh boy. - [Coyote] That is the
position that we want. - [Mark] Oh boy, okay, so we gotta hurry
up and do this. - That is a perfect
hold right there. Now, before, look how
much my hand is shaking. Hold on. (mumbling) Okay, we've got a
really good hold. - [Mark] Wow, look at
that abdomen going. - I got a really
good hold on her. It took me a minute
to get the right hold but the right hold
is what is important. Now, I do have the
glass capsule right here so I'm hoping that I
have the wherewithall after the sting to
quickly pick up the glass enclosure and put it
back over top of the wasp so it doesn't escape
and we can get some more bebo shots with it. But, guys, do be aware
that if I do immediately go into a state of paralysis, just let the wasp fly away. Don't try to grab it,
don't do anything. It will be back into the wild
and everything will be fine. - [Mark] All right, Coyote. You okay, man? Your heart racing? - A million miles a second. This is the most
nervous I've ever been to take a stinger
bite from anything. My hand is shaking. Are you guys all ready? - [Mark] Oh yeah, I'm
ready if you're ready. - I'm ready, I'm ready. Okay, here we go. I'm Coyote Peterson, and I'm
about to enter the sting zone with the tarantula hawk. - [Mark] Go for it. - One. (deep breath) Two. Here we go, three. (screaming) (groaning) - [Mark] You all right? (groaning) (screaming) - Oh my gosh! Ow! (screaming) - [Mark] Tell me
what you're feeling? - I can't move my arm. (groaning) (heavy breathing) That is the most intense
pain I've ever felt. Don't think I can talk. (groaning) (wincing) - [Mark] Are you okay, man? I'm getting nervous. Are you feeling anything like, do we need to be worried? - No, I just can't move my arm. I think I'm gonna cry. Coyote Peterson doesn't
cry though, right? (groaning) It is, it's like my arm
is in a state of paralysis right now. Aah.
(groaning) - [Mark] Do you need anything? - Right there. Oh wow. Oh wow. Aah. Argh. - [Mark] It looks like
your arm is swollen up. (groaning) - Oh, second wave of pain! (groaning) (heavy breathing) It's actually receding
at this point. Ah, wow. (heavy breathing) That zone right there is
a hot, radiating pain. And you can see the stinger, where it went in right there, that red mark, I've read
that it's like getting tazed with a tazer gun. I've never been tazed before, but I can tell you that the
pain is unbelievable right now. All up and down my forearm. Wow, I actually
slightly liken it to the gila monster
at this point, it feels really hot. Really, really hot. Ah, ah hot to the touch. Wow, it's, push it, see if my arm is warm to you. - [Mark] Oh yeah,
it's all really, it's like really hot. - Oh, let me walk
around for a second. Oh. Ah. Okay, okay. Let's come back
into the scene here. Ah, ah you little bugger. Ah, I am lightheaded
at the moment but the sting from the
tarantula hawk is serious. I can see why it's
ranked as a two on the insect sting pain index. And at this juncture, I
think it's safe to say that I have worked
my way up the ladder and I'm ready for the
bullet ant challenge. I know you are all waiting
in anticipation for that one. Trust me, it's coming. I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave. Stay wild, we'll see you
on the next adventure. All right, let's
let this go back off into the desert. We safely release
the tarantula hawk back into the wild
and as it flew away I think we were
all a bit relieved that this sting was
over and done with. And while the
impact of the sting and the intensity of the pain was far superior to
that of the velvet ant, it only lasted for
about five minutes. I had no major
adverse reactions, however, my arm was sore
for the rest of the day. And 24 hours later, it looked like a water balloon and it really itches. And I really shouldn't
itch it but ah, that feels so good. The tarantula hawk is
an extraordinary insect. And while their
sting is powerful, they have no interest
in stinging humans. If you ever see one in the wild, admire it from a safe distance, as you have absolutely
nothing to fear. That is, unless you
are a tarantula. Have you ever wondered
how to properly care for an insect sting? If so, make sure to check
out this behind the adventure and don't forget to subscribe so you can join me and the crew on this season of
Breaking Trail. Oh, that may be the best
feeling I have had all day. (sighing)
I am amused by his composure to manage to put it back under the glass dome before collapsing.
I had one of these suckers get me on the knee. Beautiful spring morning, stretching in bed, and I feel a tickle on my leg. I go to brush it off, and the next thing I know, I'm laying there in a paralyzed state of agonizing pain.
Knee looked like I had been kicked by a horse. Never had anything swell up that badly in my life. Found the little bastard after he had retreated back into a corner of the room behind a CD shelf. I won't forget those fucking orange wings.
Coyote spasming on the ground howling in pain
Camera guy "you alright?"
It amazes me that he can get stung by these insects, and still immediately have the presence of mind to grab the glass and slam it down over them without letting them escape or crushing them. I wonder if they've ever had to do a reshoot because he accidentally cut the little bugger in half.
This guy should do a hot ones interview.
Things I'm going to do today:
[X] Drink coffee
[X] Masturbate
[ ] Get stung by a tarantula hawk
Here's Hamish from Hamish and Andy facing Bullet Ants if you were wondering how bad they are.
My dog pounced on one of these out hiking and it stung his leg. For 3 minutes he made some of the oddest noises - no yelping - just smacking his lips, heavy breathing and not wanting to be moved coupled with a low rumbling growl type noise.
He luckily though at the time was taking an anti-inflammatory steroid for his severe allergies - so he didn't swell up.
3 minutes later he was back to his normal self and wanting to run but those 3 minutes were weird. He was clearly in serious pain.
Karma Edit: no shame my dog is not amused though
Edit: they are super chill and big (the females, are the ones that sting) - they make a loud noise when flying. I've seen a dozen or so in the Santa Monica mountain areas north of LA. They don't want to sting you/or anything other than food. But they are basically afraid of nothing and will not move away from you unless, you do something like my dog and attack it.
Edit 2: there is an older imgur album from someone that was stung that I looked at around the time my dog was stung - just to see how much pain he may have been in - http://imgur.com/gallery/nOGvq
With a name like Coyote I could not picture him having a desk job.
Just the buzzing in the start of the video scared the shit out of me. That thing is like flying right beside me. NOPE!