Journey Inside a Beehive + More Facts About Bees

Bright Side

Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00:00Bees first appeared on Earth 130 million years ago, and they outlived dinos.

00:00:06What helped them survive for so long is an incredibly complex structure of their society

00:00:11and teamwork.

00:00:12Each bee has its own role and responsibility.

00:00:15Some of them build and repair their home, some bees protect it, others clean the hive

00:00:19and get food.

00:00:20But what if you could sneak into a hive and figure out how this whole system works?

00:00:25What would you see inside?

00:00:27For some mysterious reason, it's easy for you to get past the guards.

00:00:31But if you were a bee from another colony, they wouldn't let you in without a fight.

00:00:36The guard bees look rather intimidating.

00:00:38They stand on their back four legs at the hive's entrance, their front legs raised

00:00:42in the air.

00:00:43These bees inspect every insect entering the hive with their antennae and front legs.

00:00:48Each hive has its own odor.

00:00:50And the guards can understand if a bee belongs to their colony by smelling it.

00:00:55Only the bees that live in the hive can get inside.

00:00:58Suddenly, you see something strange.

00:01:00One of the guard bees has detected an intruder.

00:01:03An alien bee must have mistakenly tried to enter the wrong hive.

00:01:07But it's carrying a load of nectar, and the guard lets it in.

00:01:11Apparently, they don't mind accepting free gifts of food, even from strangers.

00:01:16You feel too curious to linger there any longer.

00:01:19The hive has only one entrance.

00:01:21You notice that the walls around it look strange.

00:01:23But take a closer look and understand that it's coated with a thin layer of some substance.

00:01:28It's propolis, hardened plant resin produced by bees.

00:01:32It helps fight infections and cures different health problems.

00:01:35A bit further, you can see countless honeycombs.

00:01:38They're densely packed hexagonal cells made of beeswax.

00:01:42Bees use them to store food, pollen, and honey.

00:01:45That's where they keep eggs, larvae, and pupae.

00:01:48Honeycombs are fixed to the walls of the hive.

00:01:51They stretch from top to bottom and are even attached to the sides.

00:01:54But you spot narrow passageways along the comb edges.

00:01:58Bees use them to move around the hive.

00:02:00You might also be able to squeeze through one of these tunnels.

00:02:04After exploring the place, you figure out that bees store honey in the upper part of

00:02:08the comb.

00:02:09Beneath, there are cells that contain pollen.

00:02:11Then, there are cells used for keeping eggs with future worker bees.

00:02:16And at the very bottom, there are drone eggs.

00:02:19Of course, your ultimate goal is to see the queen bee.

00:02:22But it's not that easy to find her.

00:02:24First, you come across lots of other bees.

00:02:27Most of them are workers.

00:02:28They make up the largest part of the hive's population.

00:02:31And they're all ladies.

00:02:33Each of them has its own task.

00:02:35The most common of them is foraging.

00:02:37You spot a bee leaving a hive and decide to follow it.

00:02:40The queen can wait a bit.

00:02:42You want to see how bees provide food for the hive.

00:02:45The bee is buzzing ahead of you.

00:02:46After visiting a couple of flowers, it suddenly starts wiggling while hovering in one place.

00:02:51Ah, that's the famous bee dance.

00:02:54That's how bees communicate.

00:02:56Once a forager finds a perfect supply of nectar, it starts to perform a very precise dance.

00:03:01It consists of a series of straight lines and figure-8s.

00:03:04Throughout the dance, the bee is also shaking its wings.

00:03:08How long the dance lasts means how far away from the hive the nectar is.

00:03:13Every 75 milliseconds is another 330 feet to the distance.

00:03:17And how intense the dance is depends on the richness of the source of the nectar.

00:03:22The stronger the waggle is, the more nectar the bee has found.

00:03:25And there's also the angle of the dance.

00:03:28It shows the direction of the nectar in relation to the sun.

00:03:31Your bee must've found tons of nectar.

00:03:34It's practically vibrating.

00:03:36Suddenly it starts flying back to the hive.

00:03:38You follow it.

00:03:39There, the bee does a shake dance in front of the other worker bees.

00:03:43This is how it tells other bees they need to go foraging right away.

00:03:47You decide to stay behind and just watch what will happen.

00:03:50Soon, the bees return.

00:03:51They've brought back a lot of nectar that needs to be ripened into honey.

00:03:55Your bee does a tremble dance this time.

00:03:57It's shaking its legs in a way that makes its body tremble all over.

00:04:02This little dance makes other workers get down to process the nectar.

00:04:05It's time for you to resume your search.

00:04:08You dive back into the hive and begin to squeeze through small passageways.

00:04:13You come across the cells where worker bees begin their lives as eggs.

00:04:16It takes a bee 21 days to develop from an egg into a full-grown worker.

00:04:21The first task of this new worker is to clean the cell where it grew.

00:04:25The cell then becomes a nursery for a new egg.

00:04:28And the bee looks after this egg.

00:04:30Later, it feeds the larva and keeps it warm.

00:04:33During the next stage of its life, when it's 12 to 20 days old, the bee starts doing chores

00:04:38around the hive.

00:04:39It produces wax, stores pollen and nectar, builds the comb, guards the entrance, and

00:04:44so on.

00:04:45When the bee turns 20 days old, it becomes a forager.

00:04:49It looks for and delivers pollen, nectar, and tree resin to make propolis.

00:04:53The bee also brings water.

00:04:55Bees need it for drinking and cooling the hive.

00:04:58At one point, you see something that looks like a hospital room.

00:05:02There, worker bees look after those that feel unwell.

00:05:06But doctors bring them different types of honey, depending on their infection.

00:05:10If there's no other way, they remove a sick bee from the hive.

00:05:13It helps to prevent the entire colony from getting ill.

00:05:17And then, there are also temperature-controlled bees.

00:05:20The temperature in the hive is usually around 95°F. It's crucial to keep it this way

00:05:25– not hotter, not colder.

00:05:27Otherwise, the eggs won't hatch.

00:05:30You see a group of bees and instantly understand their temperature bees.

00:05:34Apparently, the temperature in the hive has dropped, and now the bees are trying to warm

00:05:38it up.

00:05:39They're vibrating in a special way, which raises their body temperature.

00:05:43And you can feel the air around you become a bit warmer.

00:05:47And if they needed to cool the hive, they would go and gather some water droplets.

00:05:51Then they would bring this water on their backs.

00:05:54Once in the hive, the temperature bees would buzz their wings very fast, making the water

00:05:58evaporate and lower the temperature.

00:06:01You move further, and soon come across a bee you haven't seen before.

00:06:05It has huge eyes, a large body, and no stinger.

00:06:08It's a drone, the only kind of male bee in the hive.

00:06:12Drones don't have any foraging tools either.

00:06:15Their only purpose is to mate with the queen and care for her.

00:06:18The drone's life isn't too long.

00:06:21For one thing, if this bee manages to mate with the queen, it never survives the process.

00:06:26And if there's a food shortage or winter is coming, worker bees usually kick drones

00:06:30out of the hive and don't let them back in.

00:06:32Wow, that's hard.

00:06:34You keep going until you finally notice a nursery.

00:06:37There you spot a bee that is twice the size of a worker bee.

00:06:41Your quest has come to an end – that's the queen!

00:06:44This bee is the most important one for the hive, because it's the only bee that can

00:06:48lay eggs.

00:06:50Despite her title, the queen doesn't actually rule, and her brain is smaller than that of

00:06:54a worker bee.

00:06:55But she produces special pheromones that influence the mood of the entire hive.

00:07:00The queen also gives birth to every single bee in the colony.

00:07:04When the queen is still a larva, worker bees feed her royal jolly.

00:07:08That's a goop with super high sugar content.

00:07:11A larger cell, along with such a diet, leads to a bigger body and the future queen's

00:07:16ability to emit the pheromones.

00:07:18When the queen has mated with drones, she returns to the hive.

00:07:22Three days later, she starts laying eggs and never stops.

00:07:25She works especially hard in the spring, laying one egg every 20 seconds.

00:07:30No wonder that later in the year, the colony already has a population of 30,000 to 60,000

00:07:36bees.

00:07:37But wait, something strange is happening here.

00:07:40A group of worker bees, in fact lots of them, might be half the colony, leave the hive with

00:07:45the queen leading them.

00:07:47It means the colony has become too big.

00:07:49The queen goes outside for the first time since mating, and the whole swarm sets off

00:07:54in search of a new home.

00:07:56Back in the hive, a new queen hatches from an egg eight days later.

00:08:25little thing.

00:08:26You'll be fine after a few hours.

00:08:28But the bee?

00:08:29Not so much.

00:08:30Honeybees don't usually sting people unless they feel threatened or if you accidentally

00:08:33step on them.

00:08:34The problem is that after stinging you, the bee can't pull its barbed stinger out of

00:08:38your skin.

00:08:39The only way to get free is to leave the stinger behind.

00:08:42The stinger though, not just a sweet defense mechanism, it also contains part of the bee's

00:08:46digestive tract, nerves, and muscles that are, unfortunately, essential for the bee

00:08:51to function normally.

00:08:52So yep, after losing all that, this tiny creature doesn't survive.

00:08:56Yikes.

00:08:57Poor little bee.

00:08:59Apart from that, they're such cool animals.

00:09:01They have five eyes, two pairs of wings, and six legs.

00:09:05Bees have excellent survival instincts and they've been around for a really long time,

00:09:09130 million years and counting.

00:09:11Who knows what ancient species they've stung.

00:09:14Most bees in the hive are called worker bees, and the big cheese is called the queen.

00:09:18She lays around 2,000 eggs per day.

00:09:20Sound like a lot?

00:09:22Well, the average hive contains 50,000 bees, and they disappear after just one sting.

00:09:26I guess going through a painful and itchy experience doesn't actually sound that bad

00:09:30when you only have one bee on your arm.

00:09:33Imagine if you had the whole hive.

00:09:34It may seem like bees just aimlessly fly around or use their vision to decide where they go.

00:09:39But these cool insects are pretty organized and rely on a super complex transport system.

00:09:44Imagine planning a cross-country road trip, only this time, there are no roads.

00:09:48I can't even make it to the gym without my GPS.

00:09:51Or if I stop at a burger joint on the way there.

00:09:53But not bees.

00:09:54They're way cooler than us.

00:09:56They use bee lines.

00:09:57Well, I call them that.

00:09:59They're basically a series of insect pathways bees tend to follow through human towns or

00:10:03the countryside.

00:10:04These pathways link every existing wildlife area together.

00:10:07It's like a bee railway system.

00:10:10My favorite bee is the buff-tailed bumblebee.

00:10:13It has an oval-shaped body covered in dense hair and a brain the size of a poppy seed.

00:10:17Considering how small it is, that's really impressive.

00:10:20How smart are they?

00:10:22Scientists made an experiment where they trained a bunch of them to play bee soccer.

00:10:25They even learned how to score a goal in return for a sweet sugary treat.

00:10:29Un-bee-lievable.

00:10:30These same bees have another amazing ability.

00:10:33They use their smelly footprints to distinguish between the scents of strangers, their own

00:10:37bee relatives.

00:10:38They can even recognize their own scent.

00:10:40Bumblebees, we know your dirty little secret.

00:10:42You have smelly feet.

00:10:44And then there's the queen bee.

00:10:46She's unique in her colony, and her main task?

00:10:48Laying eggs.

00:10:49People often assume the queen is there to tell the other bees exactly what to do.

00:10:53Yeah, not really.

00:10:54She does have a certain influence.

00:10:56But even without her, the hive actually functions pretty well.

00:10:59Each bee has a job and knows its daily functions and tasks.

00:11:03Because of its instincts and the chemical signals it senses and uses.

00:11:06So, I guess no one needs to tell them how to… behave?

00:11:09Those chemical signals are their way of communicating.

00:11:12Oh, and they know how to shake it.

00:11:13They wiggle their bodies at specific angles for a certain amount of time.

00:11:17That's how they send messages to each other.

00:11:19If something happens to the queen bee and she doesn't survive, worker bees create

00:11:23a new one.

00:11:24Yep, they don't find one.

00:11:25But sort of raise a new one.

00:11:27They choose a young larva and feed the future, her majesty, a special food called royal jelly.

00:11:32That lucky larva can now grow into the new queen.

00:11:35Bees are fast.

00:11:36They can beat their wings almost 200 times a second.

00:11:39Those 8 push-ups I can do in a minute, not sounding so impressive.

00:11:42Each bee produces around 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

00:11:45To produce 1 pound of honey, bees have to fly the equivalent of one whole time around

00:11:49the globe.

00:11:50These hardworking animals make around 100 million trips to about 200 million flowers

00:11:55to collect enough nectar for that pound of honey.

00:11:58Honey bees sleep 5 to 8 hours a day, and just like us, they rest at night.

00:12:02Their brains are pretty active when they're resting.

00:12:04Some scientists think they may be dreaming, also just like us.

00:12:08When winter rolls around, a lot of insects replace their body water with a special chemical

00:12:12called glycerol.

00:12:13It's a type of natural antifreeze that helps them stay alive in low temperatures.

00:12:17Bees though, they just huddle together in the hive to stay toasty warm.

00:12:21Alright enough about bees, let's whip round the animal kingdom looking for crazy facts.

00:12:26Bats could eat a thousand insects an hour if they were insanely hungry.

00:12:29They're the only mammal that can fly, and their bones are so thin, most of them can't

00:12:34even walk.

00:12:35Insects for the most part don't have ears on their heads, instead, they have them all

00:12:39over their bodies.

00:12:41Mammals can sleep for 3 years without waking up.

00:12:44Slugs have 4 noses, so they better avoid those stinky feet bumblebees.

00:12:48Butterflies are quite simple and practical animals that taste with their feet and only

00:12:52feed on liquids.

00:12:54They're cold-blooded, so if it gets below 55 degrees, they can't fly, look for food,

00:12:58or escape a sticky situation.

00:13:00Their main defense tactic is camouflage, works pretty well, until it gets cold.

00:13:05The opposite strategy is having vibrant, colorful patterns that let everyone know where you

00:13:09are.

00:13:10Small insects are often toxic, so birds and bigger insects tend to leave them alone.

00:13:15Wasps recognize their relatives by identifying unique facial patterns.

00:13:20Ants don't have lungs, instead, they breathe through small holes all over their bodies.

00:13:24Also, they almost never sleep, but they do love to nap.

00:13:28Ants are incredibly strong and can carry more than 50 times their own weight.

00:13:31If you were that strong, you'd be able to carry an adult elephant, you know, like if

00:13:35it's stepping on your toe and you want to get it off you?

00:13:38For every human, there are more than a million ants, and over 200 million insects.

00:13:42Luckily, they're smaller than us.

00:13:44If they weren't, we'd be the ants.

00:13:47You can hypnotize a frog if you place it on its back and gently stroke its stomach with

00:13:51your fingers.

00:13:52What if that worked on humans?

00:13:53Hey, wanna hang out?

00:13:55I know a sloth does.

00:13:57Its weird biology allows it to spend most of its life just hanging upside down from

00:14:01a tree.

00:14:02A sloth is so slow it takes around a month to totally digest food.

00:14:06Pandas have horns made out of the same stuff as hair.

00:14:10Scientists trained pigeons to be able to tell the difference between famous artists Claude

00:14:13Monet and Pablo Picasso.

00:14:15Ok, wait.

00:14:17Even pigeons are smarter than me now?

00:14:19Just when you think pandas can't get any cuter, check this out.

00:14:22When they're born, pandas weigh around 4 ounces and are smaller than a mouse.

00:14:26Animals that have a super-fast metabolism inside a small body, like squirrels do, see

00:14:30in slow motion.

00:14:31They evolved this feature to be able to escape bigger animals.

00:14:34That's cool.

00:14:35But when you really think about it, it really makes them powerful.

00:14:38Squirrels usually run away from their enemies by scampering off in a zig-zag pattern, because…

00:14:43no idea.

00:14:44Sorry, people.

00:14:45They tend to bury their food in many different places.

00:14:47Since it's impossible to keep an eye on all their hiding spots, other animals like

00:14:51to sneak over and steal their goods.

00:14:53That's why squirrels sometimes only pretend to bury their food somewhere, to throw off

00:14:57any potential thieves.

00:14:58Oh, how nutty of them!

00:15:00An ostrich has a brain smaller than its eye, but it has really strong legs.

00:15:05It can run faster than a horse.

00:15:07Flamingos only eat when their heads are turned upside down.

00:15:16The sound you hear when bees aren't around doesn't come from their mouths.

00:15:21You hear it because they're beating their wings while flying really fast.

00:15:25When they're in the air, their wings make vibrations the human ear recognizes as buzzing.

00:15:31It's especially loud when it comes to smaller insects.

00:15:34Bigger bees have slower wingbeats, which means the pitch of the buzzing gets lower.

00:15:40Insects buzz to get pollen off the flower as they move their bodies and wings.

00:15:44The pollen then attaches to the bee.

00:15:46It flies towards the next flower and deposits the pollen there.

00:15:50This process is called pollination.

00:15:53You will also hear buzzing when they're defending their hives or themselves.

00:15:57Especially if you get too close to a bee in its natural habitat.

00:16:01This buzzing sound is like some kind of a warning to move away.

00:16:04Or get ready to face the angry bee.

00:16:06Ouch!

00:16:07That was a painful one.

00:16:08But hey!

00:16:09What?

00:16:10Ouch!

00:16:11Was that another sting?

00:16:12In that case, it's not a honeybee.

00:16:16A honeybee can only sting once.

00:16:18When it does, you can see the small stinger protruding on your skin.

00:16:22Once that's done, the bee can no longer pull the stinger back out.

00:16:26Since the stinger has nerves, muscles, and is part of the bee's digestive tract, the

00:16:30bee doesn't survive.

00:16:34Yellowjackets are a type of wasp that doesn't have such a problem.

00:16:37They will sting you multiple times, as much as possible.

00:16:40Unlike plenty of bees, yellowjackets have a stinger without a barb.

00:16:45It's no fun being around them or running into their nests, which provides home to thousands

00:16:49of jackets.

00:16:50Or up to 50,000 in just one summer.

00:16:55They don't produce the buzzing sound like bees either.

00:16:57That happens because of differences in their behavior.

00:17:01Bumblebees and honeybees fly from one flower to another and gather pollen and nectar, which

00:17:06is also food for the colonies.

00:17:08If you see them flying around at grass level, they're probably collecting food they'll later

00:17:12take to their nest.

00:17:16Yellowjackets aren't that much into flowers, so they don't need to shake their wings as

00:17:19intensively as bees.

00:17:20They don't transfer or collect pollen.

00:17:23These wasps are predators that prefer spiders, insects, and decaying fruit.

00:17:28If you're having a picnic with a basket full of tasty food, get ready for an unwanted visit.

00:17:32Cover the food to keep them away.

00:17:36Their most active time is late summer and early fall.

00:17:40Jackets start their colony in the spring.

00:17:42The lone queen does it by herself.

00:17:44She needs to survive the harsh winter conditions first, after which she lays eggs.

00:17:49The colony then grows through spring and summer.

00:17:52When the winter comes, the old queen is done with her work, so she can now pass the crown

00:17:56to the new queen that will start the next cycle.

00:17:59None of the other wasps survive either.

00:18:02Both yellowjackets and bees have black and yellow bodies and are almost the same size.

00:18:08Bees are more hairy and chunky, while yellowjackets are not that furry or fat.

00:18:12They're more smooth and slender.

00:18:15Wasps also have a waist.

00:18:17It attaches their abdomen to the thorax, the body part between the midsection and the head.

00:18:23Honeybees live in tree holes in nests beekeepers provide them with.

00:18:27Jackets prefer to make their nests in exposed pipes, holes, in walls, old furniture, or

00:18:32even below the ground.

00:18:34They find some old rodent burrows and often make their nests in lawns on spots with no

00:18:39grass, so it's easier to accidentally step on them or disturb them with a lawnmower.

00:18:45Yellowjackets are way more aggressive and fierce than bees since they're predators

00:18:49and have a really strong instinct to protect their nests.

00:18:53They tend to go after people for violating their peace and will follow you over a long

00:18:57distance if necessary.

00:18:59They'll pass all obstacles and wait for their moment.

00:19:02If you're running away from them, don't go into the water and dive in because they'll

00:19:05be patiently waiting for you to run out of breath to take their revenge.

00:19:10Don't run in panic waving your arms around because they'll probably be faster and way

00:19:13more frustrated as they see you as a threat.

00:19:16Just raise your hands and protect the eyes first, then slowly start moving away.

00:19:22Honeybees sting when they really don't have another choice.

00:19:25They're not mean by their nature.

00:19:27Neither they nor wasps are hostile if they don't feel threatened.

00:19:31Yellowjackets are way easier to provoke than bees.

00:19:34When they see something they find dangerous coming towards, they release certain chemicals

00:19:38that alert the family, so they'll chase you.

00:19:41Wasps can make a nest from paper.

00:19:43They chew up pieces of bark and then spit it out, which is how they make a paper rougher.

00:19:48They all look the same to us, but wasps can recognize each other by identifying unique

00:19:53facial patterns they all have.

00:19:55They come in crazy colors including green, blue, red, and orange.

00:20:00The smallest insect in the world is a parasite wasp, often called a fairy fly.

00:20:05Male wasps are blind, don't have wings, and they're only 0.005 inches long.

00:20:11There are over 30,000 species of wasps, but two groups in general.

00:20:16Social wasps live in colonies, and solitary wasps prefer to have their nests on their

00:20:21own and live alone with their young.

00:20:23Social wasps use the stingers as a way to defend themselves.

00:20:27Solitary wasps use them for hunting, together with the venom they have inside.

00:20:32Solitary wasps aren't into stinging people and won't go after us.

00:20:35They help humans by taking care of insect populations on their plates.

00:20:41Mud dauber wasps are close relatives to ants.

00:20:44The ants started out as some sort of predatory wasp themselves.

00:20:48But ants are even more related to bees than to social wasps, and they all have the same

00:20:52family tree.

00:20:54They have spread all over the Earth's dry land, populating virtually every imaginable

00:20:58ecosystem.

00:20:59There are more than 10,000 trillion ants on our planet at any moment.

00:21:03One study of a Brazilian rainforest says the overall mass of the ants that lived in

00:21:07that area was around four times bigger than the mass of all reptiles, mammals, and amphibians

00:21:13together.

00:21:16Ants are social creatures that live in pretty big colonies.

00:21:19They cover different roles, defending the nest, looking for food, rearing their young,

00:21:24or building nests.

00:21:27Not only their cousins can make a painful sting, ants are fierce too.

00:21:31Insect ants have the most painful sting of them all, and they live in humid jungle areas

00:21:36like the Amazon.

00:21:37Fire ants wreak billions of dollars worth of damage every year.

00:21:42The total amount includes the cost of medical and veterinary bills to treat their bites.

00:21:47They might be tiny, but have a pretty painful bite that makes you feel like your skin is

00:21:50burning.

00:21:52That's how they got their name.

00:21:54Some bugs out there can only live for a couple of days, or even hours.

00:21:58But ants are among the longest living insects.

00:22:00The queen ant of some species lives up to 30 years.

00:22:04They are some of the world's strongest animals, considering their size.

00:22:08A single ant lifts and carries a burden that's 50 times its body weight.

00:22:12They appreciate teamwork, so you'll often see them working together to move some bigger

00:22:15objects.

00:22:18Ants live on all continents except for Antarctica, same as their cousin wasps.

00:22:24Ants don't have ears.

00:22:25Instead of listening, they feel vibrations coming from the ground.

00:22:30Some don't even have eyes, so they communicate with others using the antennae.

00:22:34Also, they send messages to each other over chemical signals they release through the

00:22:38body.

00:22:40They leave trails of chemical signals that lead to some food sources or to attract a

00:22:45partner.

00:22:46They also send out warnings when they sense there's danger nearby the same way.

00:22:51Their biggest nest ever discovered was more than 3,700 miles wide.

00:22:56It was found in 2000 in Argentina.

00:23:02Thirty-three ant populations got together and created one enormous supercolony, with

00:23:07millions of nests and billions of ants working and living there.

00:23:11Mosquitoes, bedbugs, fleas, beetles, gadflies, millions of insects out there can't wait to

00:23:18feast on the most delicious dessert, you, especially if it's warm outside and you sweat

00:23:24a little.

00:23:25The good news is that not many bugs want to eat you.

00:23:29It's estimated that there are about 10 million species of insects in the world, and only

00:23:3414,000 of them feed on your vital fluid.

00:23:37A few hundred among this group regularly bite people.

00:23:40Um, okay, yeah, it's still too many.

00:23:44But it wasn't always like that.

00:23:46In the distant past, insects didn't dare to attack huge animals for food.

00:23:50They developed their ability to feed on blood from 200 to 65 million years ago.

00:23:56And there are several theories why this happened.

00:23:58Imagine small beetles and insects living in the nest of some flying dinosaur or a giant

00:24:04ancient bird.

00:24:05They feed on bird secretions, rotten grass, leaves, or mushrooms.

00:24:11Then a piece of skin or a feather of an animal falls on their table.

00:24:15Insects taste it, and they like it.

00:24:18Then a dinosaur arrives, and the beetles sense a familiar smell.

00:24:22They climb on its skin and bite it.

00:24:24Or they accidentally fall on an open sore of a bird and taste it.

00:24:28For insects, this would be the most delicious thing they had ever eaten.

00:24:33Yeah, I agree, it's a pretty low bar.

00:24:36Now other insects have a long, thin feeding tube called a proboscis.

00:24:40They use it to feed on plant sap or other smaller insects.

00:24:44And now, one of these beetles sits on a wounded mammal and accidentally bites it.

00:24:50The beetle's body already has the right enzyme capable of digesting blood.

00:24:54So, from that moment on, the beetle doesn't want to eat anything other than red nectar.

00:25:00The beetle bears offspring, and it takes over the ability to feed on blood.

00:25:06Imagine you've been eating grass and leaves all your life.

00:25:08And then you try some sweet banana pudding.

00:25:11You wouldn't want to go back to eating good old grass now.

00:25:14You'd always want dessert.

00:25:16Insects had the same feeling when they tasted nutritious blood.

00:25:20Yum-bo!

00:25:21One of the coolest theories says the thirst for blood in insects was caused by microbes.

00:25:27Blood isn't an ideal food for beetles.

00:25:29It doesn't have enough vitamins or nutrients for them.

00:25:32That's why a whole ecosystem of microorganisms had to form inside their intestines.

00:25:38These bacteria can synthesize some essential vitamins with the help of blood.

00:25:43These bacteria won't survive if they stop feeding on that red fluid.

00:25:47And when these bacteria disappear, insects have problems with development and reproduction.

00:25:53It's impossible to name the exact reason, since the transition from plant food to animal

00:25:57food happened a very long time ago.

00:26:01Since then, evolution has created a variety of ways to extract blood.

00:26:05The most famous blood-dependent species are, of course, mosquitoes.

00:26:10The female mosquitoes need blood to produce eggs.

00:26:13When mosquitoes fly, they feel the heat, carbon dioxide, and lactic acid in the air.

00:26:19These smells attract the mosquitoes, so they fly to their source – an animal or a human.

00:26:25Then the mosquito lands on its prey and inserts its proboscis into the skin.

00:26:30At the same time, it secretes saliva to prevent clotting.

00:26:34The unpleasant skin sensation you get after the bite is an allergic reaction of your body

00:26:39to the mosquito saliva.

00:26:41Then the female produces eggs and leaves the larva in stagnant water.

00:26:45It could be a pond, a drain, or an outdoor pool.

00:26:49Small mosquitoes feed on organic substances in the water, then grow up and go on their

00:26:54first hunt.

00:26:56Black flies also feed on blood, but they don't do it as carefully as mosquitoes.

00:27:01The female black fly lands on the prey, uses its sharp jaws to cut the skin, and devours

00:27:07its lunch.

00:27:08Fortunately, they don't bother people too much.

00:27:11Their main target is livestock and wild animals.

00:27:14Horse flies and deer flies are the real human enemies.

00:27:17Their bite is quite painful.

00:27:20Ordinary flies that live on the street and inside human houses are super annoying and

00:27:25they can feast on your skin without even biting you.

00:27:28Everything they need from you lies on the surface.

00:27:31You secrete sweat, proteins, carbs, salts, sugar, and other chemicals that the fly collects

00:27:37with its proboscis.

00:27:39And of course, it hardly understands that you're a living being and don't want to

00:27:43share your food with it.

00:27:45That's why a fly isn't afraid of you.

00:27:48You probably noticed that some people get bitten by insects more often than others.

00:27:52You could be going for a walk in the park, and they get all over you.

00:27:56But your friend walking right next to you wouldn't feel anything.

00:28:00Just means you're a sweetie.

00:28:02Scientists used to believe that some people actually just don't feel it when they get

00:28:06bitten.

00:28:07The human body doesn't have such a strong reaction to mosquito saliva.

00:28:10But recent studies have shown the number of bites depends on genetics and many other factors.

00:28:16Around 10-20% of people are just more attractive to predatory insects.

00:28:21How lucky or unlucky are they?

00:28:24Mosquitoes use a variety of senses to choose the perfect prey.

00:28:28They have carbon dioxide and humidity sensors.

00:28:31They also distinguish the odors of hundreds of different chemicals released by humans.

00:28:36Each smell has a specific meaning for different types of mosquitoes.

00:28:41There are thousands of nuances and shades of odors that can attract some mosquitoes

00:28:45and repel others.

00:28:47The mosquitoes that are more aggressive like things that ordinary mosquitoes can't smell.

00:28:52Some mosquitoes go for your legs, others like your neck.

00:28:56The food and drinks you consume play an important role in that too.

00:29:00They change the smell of your skin, the thickness of the skin, the amount of heat released,

00:29:05shades of color, and your blood type.

00:29:07All of that matters to insects.

00:29:10But there's something that attracts almost all insects.

00:29:13It's the smell of sweat.

00:29:15The dirtier you are, the more attractive you are to them.

00:29:19The unpleasant smell of sweat is created by millions of bacteria gathered on your skin.

00:29:24They attract mosquitoes.

00:29:26Some species like fresh sweat.

00:29:29Others prefer stale sweat with an unpleasant aroma.

00:29:33If you're clean, you'll become invisible to most of the little flying monsters.

00:29:38The smell also depends on your genetic features.

00:29:41The structure of your DNA directly affects the smells you release.

00:29:46That's why you can say that some people are sweeter when it comes to mosquito tastes.

00:29:51But mosquito bites are really nothing compared to those of fire ants.

00:29:55When it munches on your skin, it feels like it's on fire.

00:29:59These ants are especially dangerous for people with allergies.

00:30:02The tusk caterpillar is a beautifully vicious creature.

00:30:06It doesn't need to bite you to hurt you.

00:30:08This insect, also known as the southern flannel moth, is covered with thick fur hiding many

00:30:13poisonous thorns.

00:30:15A small prick with these spines, and you need medical assistance immediately.

00:30:20The Asian giant hornet is one of the most dangerous and painful insect bites of all.

00:30:26One hornet can be the size of a person's thumb, and its sting resembles a real needle.

00:30:31It's almost three times the size of a bee.

00:30:35These aggressive creatures can bite through clothes and even beekeepers' outfits.

00:30:39They attack in a huge swarm and can cause serious trouble to any animal.

00:30:44To fight them, people wear thick protective suits that look like spacesuits.

00:30:49But the main danger is that hornets attack beehives and greatly reduce the bee population.

00:30:54This can lead to a catastrophe on a planetary scale.

00:30:58Our planet and humanity need bees, not only because they produce honey.

00:31:03Bees pollinate flowers and plants.

00:31:06About a third of the world's food production would be impossible without bees.

00:31:11Cows eat vegetation that bees pollinate, and if all bees disappeared, it would greatly

00:31:16affect not only the health of cows, but all other cattle as well.

00:31:20A lot of fruits and berries would lose their rich taste if the bees stopped serving them.

00:31:25We get most of the cotton on the planet thanks to bees as pollinators.

00:31:29There would be a shortage of jeans and other clothes if the bees disappeared.

00:31:33The taste of many products would deteriorate, and the food would lose its useful properties.

00:31:39Whole species of flowers would disappear from the face of our planet.

00:31:43Humanity would have a really difficult time without bees.

00:31:46That would be a disaster, and that's another reason why giant hornets are so dangerous

00:31:52And they gotta go, if you ask me.

00:31:59Now it's obvious who can win a fight between a bee and a giant hornet.

00:32:03It's like a battle between a kitten and a saber-toothed tiger.

00:32:06And an army of bees against an army of hornets is like hundreds of kittens against hundreds

00:32:11of lions.

00:32:12It seems the hornets will win because one hornet can destroy more than 1,000 bees in

00:32:17less than an hour and a half.

00:32:20If this battle happens in real life, it will be more complicated, dramatic, and unexpected

00:32:25than you can imagine.

00:32:27A group of bees works all day.

00:32:29They pollinate plants and fruits and collect nectar from flowers.

00:32:33They work hard and return home to the hive at the end of the day.

00:32:36They don't notice an imposter flying among them – a giant hornet.

00:32:40It's bigger than one bee but has the same yellow-black color.

00:32:45No one pays any attention to it.

00:32:47The imposter enters the bee house without an invitation and makes a crackling sound.

00:32:51That's how its jaws snap.

00:32:53Hungry and angry, it begins the feast.

00:32:56In a matter of seconds, the hornet puts the hive into chaos.

00:33:00The hornet has a sting with toxic venom, but it can go without it here.

00:33:05For bees, the monster uses its sharp jaws.

00:33:08The hive's citizens attack the enemy, but it doesn't feel a thing.

00:33:12The situation is getting worse because bees can't live after using their sting.

00:33:17They sacrifice their lives to protect their home, to protect the queen.

00:33:21Unfortunately, all their attempts are in vain.

00:33:24After quenching its thirst, the hornet flies away to find new prey.

00:33:29Only one bee manages to survive.

00:33:32It escapes from the hive to warn the others.

00:33:35The bee visits every hive in the valley and reports the powerful enemy.

00:33:39All bees start preparing to attack.

00:33:41They're raising an army.

00:33:43Unfortunately, this is not enough.

00:33:46The giant hornet visits a new hive, but this time, bees are ready.

00:33:50They attack the enemy from all sides.

00:33:53For a moment, it seems bee stings are working.

00:33:56The hornet is weakening, its activity is falling.

00:33:59The hope of victory inspires bees with confidence.

00:34:02But not for long.

00:34:04At this moment, 10 other hornets fly into the hive.

00:34:08The first hornet marked the hive with a unique pheromone before the battle.

00:34:12This smell attracted its friends, and now the bees have no chance.

00:34:16In the wild, hornets leave the trace so others can find the tagged location.

00:34:22In a few minutes, 11 hornets destroy the hive of 25,000 bees.

00:34:27Recently, this sunny land was blooming thanks to bees.

00:34:31Now it has turned into a lifeless valley.

00:34:34Giant hornets don't want to spend time searching for hives.

00:34:37So they divide into groups and fly to different sides of the valley.

00:34:41They mark bee houses with the pheromone and start a large-scale cleanup.

00:34:46Their hunger and thirst for destruction are insatiable.

00:34:49Yeah, bees now know their enemy and notice it as soon as a hornet appears in the air.

00:34:54But it doesn't help.

00:34:56In each battle, they use a lot of strategies to fight it.

00:34:59Once bees tried to attack a hornet hive, but it was a pointless mission.

00:35:04No one pollinates flowers anymore.

00:35:06No one makes honey.

00:35:08Bees live in fear and are afraid to fly out of their hives.

00:35:12In this dark hour, when almost no hope's left, a slight chance of victory appears.

00:35:18A species of Japanese bees learned to defeat the enemy.

00:35:22The news spread all over the hives.

00:35:24The strategy seems to be working.

00:35:26They've managed to fight off several giant hornets.

00:35:29The fear goes away, and the bees are ready to fight again.

00:35:34In the real world, these bees learned to fight giant hornets.

00:35:38But other species can't do that.

00:35:40So bees are waiting for the enemy.

00:35:42They all know what to do.

00:35:44Finally, a giant hornet appears.

00:35:46Hundreds of bees attack it and wrap it with their bodies from all sides.

00:35:51They completely cover the hornet and start to tremble.

00:35:54The simultaneous vibration of all the bees heats up the enemy.

00:35:58The temperature is getting higher.

00:36:00The hornet can't get out.

00:36:02Bees seem to burn it with the energy of their bodies.

00:36:05A few minutes later, the giant hornet falls.

00:36:09Bees throw it out of the hive.

00:36:11Now they are confident of their victory.

00:36:14Another hornet arrives.

00:36:16Tired bees attack it and start to vibrate again.

00:36:19The next monster is coming, and another one.

00:36:2210, 20, 100 hornets arrive.

00:36:25Bees don't have so many resources and energy.

00:36:28The chances to win are zero again.

00:36:31To win once and for all, the bees must unite.

00:36:34All the hives, hundreds of millions of bees.

00:36:38A huge lifeless meadow is the location for the final battle.

00:36:42All the bees of the valley flock here.

00:36:45They are ready for the last fight.

00:36:48Silence ensues.

00:36:49Then, the air begins to vibrate.

00:36:52You can hear the buzzing of hornets from afar.

00:36:55They have increased their population hundreds of times because none of the animals can resist

00:37:00them.

00:37:01The defeat of bees is inevitable.

00:37:03But no one is going to back down.

00:37:06Two swarms collide with each other.

00:37:08This is not a battle.

00:37:10This is destruction.

00:37:12Hundreds of thousands of bees, but zero hornets fall to the ground in a few minutes.

00:37:17A whole species of insects are disappearing from the planet.

00:37:21But what is it?

00:37:22The field plugs into a strange fog.

00:37:25Bees and hornets don't see each other.

00:37:28Then, through the white veil, they appear.

00:37:31Silhouettes of giant creatures.

00:37:33They come into the middle of the action.

00:37:36Thousands of hornets attack them, but it's all pointless.

00:37:40Bees quickly fall down and lose consciousness.

00:37:43The hornets pass out too.

00:37:45Some are trying to fly away, but the fog doesn't let them.

00:37:49All insects fall asleep.

00:37:51Humans use gas to stop this fight.

00:37:53And this someone is the bees' main ally.

00:37:56A human has come into the game.

00:37:59In thick protective suits, people picked up euthanized hornets from the ground.

00:38:04They put them in one basket and the bees in another.

00:38:07The collection of insects lasts for several hours.

00:38:10Then the bees wake up in their hives unharmed.

00:38:14Hornets wake up in special containers.

00:38:16They're trapped, and now they can't hurt anyone.

00:38:20People are destroying hornets' nests all over the world.

00:38:23They won't allow them to multiply.

00:38:25Bees are responsible for the cycle of life in nature.

00:38:28They help many plants to reproduce, thanks to pollination.

00:38:32Bees serve as berries and fruits we eat.

00:38:35They take care of flowers that cows and other livestock feed on.

00:38:39Thanks to bees, we grow a lot of cotton.

00:38:42If the hornets destroy them, there will be a shortage of clothes made of this material.

00:38:46T-shirts, jeans, jackets – all this will be more expensive, and then will disappear

00:38:51from the markets.

00:38:53Many products will lose their rich taste and useful properties.

00:38:57Animals and people won't get enough vitamins.

00:39:00Cows won't produce milk.

00:39:01There will be no cheese, sour cream, butter, and other food.

00:39:05You won't be able to order a juicy burger at the restaurant.

00:39:08Eggplants, hot peppers, kiwi, blueberries, cranberries, and much more will disappear

00:39:14from the counter.

00:39:15All species of animals and plants will stop existing.

00:39:19This will lead to other crises, not only in agriculture, but also in the global economy.

00:39:24Meanwhile, the number of hornets will be growing.

00:39:28There are almost no animals in the world to control them.

00:39:31If people don't do anything, everyone will have to wear thick protective suits to walk

00:39:36outside.

00:39:37Hornets will get into houses and cars, attack people and pets.

00:39:41One giant hornet can cause a lot of trouble.

00:39:45Hornet sting is one of the most dangerous and painful among all other insects.

00:39:49It's like a red-hot needle.

00:39:51When a hornet sticks it into an opponent, it injects the poison into the skin.

00:39:56This toxin dilates the walls of blood vessels.

00:39:59The area around the bite turns red.

00:40:02This can last for several hours, or even days.

00:40:05The hornet is an aggressive creature.

00:40:07It can sting several times.

00:40:09Imagine what a group of these insects can do!

00:40:12To escape, you need to hide in bushes with dense foliage, or jump into the water.

00:40:17After the hornets fly away, urgently contact the hospital.

00:40:22Hornets can make people's lives worse.

00:40:24It's important to fight them.

00:40:26Unfortunately, bees can't do this.

00:40:28They're absolutely defenseless.

00:40:31Humanity is aware of this danger and does everything to control the hornet's population.

00:40:36That's why giant hornets have no chances in this fight.

00:40:40Now every bee returns to its usual way of life.

00:40:44Pollination, nectar extraction, honey production in hives.

00:40:49The valley is blooming again.

00:40:51Bees can sleep peacefully.

00:40:53People monitor the situation and watch for giant hornets.

00:40:57If one enemy appears, it means there's a nest somewhere.

00:41:01Special services track down the insects and find nests under old trees and in pits.

00:41:07A wildlife administrator at an airport can escort a deer off the airfield.

00:41:12They can keep a family of ducks away from the airport's wet pond.

00:41:15They can even shoo off wayward raccoons hiding in terminal buildings.

00:41:19What they can't do is deal with honeybees.

00:41:22In August 2012, hundreds of thousands of honeybees swarmed the body of a Delta plane heading

00:41:27to New York City.

00:41:29It happened when the crew was preparing to fuel the aircraft and load the luggage.

00:41:33It was time for master beekeeper Stephen Rapaskey to come into play.

00:41:37At that time, it was already the fourth swarm the airport had to deal with in the past few

00:41:41months.

00:41:42And when in May 2012, more than 15,000 bees covered a light on taxiway C, it caused a

00:41:48serious flight delay.

00:41:49That's when the airport's wildlife administrator started to Google nearby beekeepers.

00:41:53Luckily, he came across Mr. Rapaskey, who was later employed as a contractor.

00:41:59An ostrich babysitter's job is mostly stopping little ostriches from running off or pecking

00:42:04at one another.

00:42:05These specialists spend hours on end sitting and observing their charges.

00:42:10This work is far from simple and relaxing, though.

00:42:13Ostriches are known for being territorial and quick to anger.

00:42:16If they feel threatened, they can even charge at a person.

00:42:19An ostrich babysitter can never leave their guard down.

00:42:22Otherwise, one of the birds they're responsible for will immediately get into trouble.

00:42:28A legal bank robber is also called a penetration tester.

00:42:32These people test if banks have an appropriate level of security.

00:42:35In the past, the profession was rather straightforward.

00:42:38You had to literally break into a bank.

00:42:40These days, fake robbers still exist.

00:42:43But there are also specialists who check computer security and deal with identity theft.

00:42:48They can even impersonate police officers and try to install surveillance cameras in

00:42:51the vaults.

00:42:54A scuba diving pizza delivery person works in an underwater hotel in Florida.

00:42:58This specialist dons their scuba gear and sets off on the mission.

00:43:02They supply hotel guests with freshly baked hot pizza carried through the sea in a watertight

00:43:07container.

00:43:10A pet food tester's job is a combination of a researcher and a tester.

00:43:14It's often someone with a doctoral degree.

00:43:17This specialist doesn't taste pet food.

00:43:19They test it.

00:43:21They mainly analyze the food's nutritional value.

00:43:23They write all kinds of reports and look for ways to improve the already existing foods.

00:43:28Before actually trying the food, a tester smells it.

00:43:31Not every pet owner will want their kitchen to reek of fish.

00:43:34After that, it's time for tasting food.

00:43:37Testers are supposed to evaluate its texture, consistency, and flavor.

00:43:41Once it's done and noted down, they spit out the food.

00:43:45A nail polish namer looks at a newly invented color of nail polish and tries to describe

00:43:50it in a couple of words.

00:43:52They either think of what it looks like or how it makes them feel.

00:43:57Not so long ago, NASA and the European Space Agency needed professional sleepers.

00:44:03These organizations were ready to pay each of the 24 volunteers aged between 24 and 55

00:44:08more than $18,000.

00:44:11These people were supposed to spend 60 days lying in beds.

00:44:14They could read, play games on their phones, watch their favorite series.

00:44:18The only thing they couldn't do was get up.

00:44:20Plus, their beds had to be angled down toward the head end by 6 degrees.

00:44:26This way, scientists wanted to check how artificial gravity would affect the human

00:44:30body.

00:44:31One of the benefits of a golf ball diver's profession is working outdoors at all times.

00:44:36This person is in charge of collecting golf balls from the bottom of ponds on golf courses.

00:44:40It sounds like a simple and exciting job, but most of these ponds aren't taken care

00:44:44of regularly.

00:44:45That's why divers have to search for golf balls in muddy water with loads of algae.

00:44:50Sometimes, they even have to deal with snakes.

00:44:55A coconut safety engineer protects people from getting hit on their heads by falling

00:44:59coconuts.

00:45:00The consequences of such accidents are usually extremely unpleasant.

00:45:04That's why a coconut specialist climbs palm trees, often towering up to 60 feet high,

00:45:08and picks ripened coconuts.

00:45:10This way, they don't fall down on the heads of unsuspecting tourists.

00:45:15A potato chip sorter searches for clumped or overcooked chips when those are moving

00:45:18down the assembly line.

00:45:20Once they see a piece that looks off, they immediately get rid of it.

00:45:25Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, and it's probably no

00:45:29wonder that hundreds of bicycles end up in the city's countless canals.

00:45:33Bicycle fishers pull more than 14,000 bikes out of the waterways every year.

00:45:38Most of these two-wheelers are old and rusty.

00:45:40A drying paint watcher is usually hired by a company to attentively observe the paint

00:45:45as it dries.

00:45:46They need to pay attention to any changes in the paint's color and texture.

00:45:50A skilled watcher should be able to do it both on the wall and under a microscope.

00:45:55This process helps to figure out how durable the paint is and make sure it won't fall

00:45:59off at the slightest touch.

00:46:01A drying paint watcher may also spend days painting sheets of cardboard.

00:46:05This helps to check new paint mixes, for example, how long it takes them to dry completely.

00:46:11A wrinkle chaser makes sure there are no unwanted wrinkles on shoes when they leave the factory.

00:46:16Their job description includes, for example, ironing wrinkles from shoes and shoe parts.

00:46:21To do that, a wrinkle chaser uses either a heated iron or a hot air blower.

00:46:26Sometimes it can be a special all-shaped device.

00:46:30Paper towels have either a light pleasant aroma or no smell at all.

00:46:34A paper towel sniffer is the very person who makes sure of that.

00:46:37These specialists are hired by manufacturers who want to confirm their production doesn't

00:46:41have an undesirable stench.

00:46:43Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to land this position.

00:46:47It's likely to be the tiniest job niche out there.

00:46:50It's a waterslide tester's responsibility to check whether waterslides in hotels and

00:46:54water parks are both fun and safe.

00:46:58Let's say you get yourself this job and start working as a waterslide tester for a big travel

00:47:02agency or a hotel chain.

00:47:04Then you'll spend most of your time on the move, traveling from one water park to another.

00:47:09Once you're there, you change into some swimming outfit and make it to the pool.

00:47:12You're supposed to take tons of trips down the slide.

00:47:15Pay attention to how fast you get down, how much water the slide uses, and how exciting

00:47:19the entire experience is.

00:47:23Sunglasses doctors work at large tropical resorts.

00:47:26Their main tasks are cleaning sunglass lenses, tightening screws, and solving all kinds of

00:47:31eyewear-related crises guests might have.

00:47:34A sunglasses doctor usually patrols the hotel territory in the afternoon, wearing a utility

00:47:39belt with special tools.

00:47:42A furniture tester is a person who tests beds, including pillows and mattresses.

00:47:48Hotels and other companies hire these people to literally sleep at work.

00:47:51Even though it sounds like a dream job, a good bed tester has to know a lot.

00:47:55For example, how to check if a mattress has dips by laying on it in a special manner,

00:48:00or how to figure out whether the edges of a bed are sturdy enough to sit on.

00:48:04A chewing gum chewer, also called a gumologist, spends their days chewing gum.

00:48:09They test its texture and flavor.

00:48:12They also need to describe how their mouth feels during and after the chewing process.

00:48:16Some days, a gum chewer has to blow lots of bubbles, depending on the stage of the project.

00:48:21But their main responsibility is researching and creating new flavors.

00:48:26If you don't have time to stand in line or you find this process boring and tiring, you

00:48:31can hire a professional line stander.

00:48:34For a fee, they'll replace you when you have a line for hours on end.

00:48:37For example, to get a sample sales item or a newly launched product.

00:48:42People with pretty hands, beautiful fingers, or nice feet can become body part models.

00:48:47Such professionals are often very well paid.

00:48:50They take part in photo shoots that advertise and promote particular products, for example,

00:48:55jewelry, nail polish, or hand cream.

00:48:58Dog surfing coaches are sometimes hired by hotels to teach guest dogs how to surf.

00:49:03It turns out pooches often learn to surf much faster than their humans.

00:49:08Marmite tasters have to taste every batch of the famous food spread made from yeast

00:49:13extract.

00:49:14They check whether the product has the necessary texture and consistency.

00:49:18They also pay attention if its taste is within the range of acceptable marmite flavors.

00:49:25Inside chimneys, on tree limbs, garages, support beams, and attics, you can find their nests

00:49:30everywhere around the house.

00:49:32They're not only going to ruin your picnic and mess with your food, or try to sting you

00:49:36if you make them angry, but they'll look for sheltered areas in your backyard to build

00:49:40a nest, most commonly in the ceiling of the covered outdoor porch.

00:49:44The important thing is to find a place that can support the weight of their home and the

00:49:48entire community.

00:49:50This is what paper wasps like to do, a group among 30,000 different wasp species.

00:49:56You can recognize them by the way they build their nests.

00:49:59The queen wasp starts building the first structure on her own.

00:50:02The males add on to it later.

00:50:04When you see a larger group of wasps flying in a similar direction, follow them.

00:50:09They leave their nest a couple of times a day to gather food, but they always go back

00:50:13to take care of their young and their queen.

00:50:16Also, they're buzzing pretty loudly while building a nest, so…

00:50:19Oh, there it is!

00:50:21Let's take a closer look at their nest and check what's inside.

00:50:25They're mostly umbrella-shaped, made of gray papery material.

00:50:29Wasps build it out of pulp or saliva.

00:50:31Their nests can get pretty big.

00:50:33The biggest wasp nest found was 18 feet across and 12 feet long.

00:50:38Paper wasps build smaller nests, while hornets, another wasp species, create bigger ones shaped

00:50:44like a football.

00:50:46The outer part is the hardest.

00:50:48Cells there are wider and denser.

00:50:50The root is the foundation the whole nest is built off of.

00:50:53Inside, you can see cells.

00:50:55It's where the larvae are.

00:50:57Wasps are similar to butterflies.

00:50:59They're part of a special group of insects that go through a metamorphosis, a process

00:51:03where an animal's body changes when becoming an adult.

00:51:07These cells are actually cribs for younger wasps that are about to grow up.

00:51:11As wasps build nests, they leave these cells open.

00:51:15The queens are in charge.

00:51:16They lay the eggs in these cells and seal them off.

00:51:20Cells look like hollow cylinders.

00:51:21They form some sort of hexagon, which holds the other cells.

00:51:26Inside the nest, everything's compact so that many of these cells can fit in a very

00:51:29tight space and still have an incredibly strong structure.

00:51:33Cells are the crib and the cocoon at the same time.

00:51:36Their size is big enough to fit the larvae together with its roommates.

00:51:41Grown-up wasps often leave some food with the egg, so the young, after it hatches, has

00:51:45the meal served.

00:51:47You can see the drones, which are male wasps, circle around from cell to cell.

00:51:51They want to make sure everything's okay and each larva has enough food.

00:51:56Nests need to be at a stable temperature with high humidity because of larvae.

00:52:00That's why wasps are working hard to insulate the nest.

00:52:03Such nests mostly have domes built of plant material, saliva, or paper.

00:52:08A wasp is roaming around, looking for the proper material.

00:52:11When it finds wood, it chews it up, mixing it with saliva.

00:52:15This way, the wasp makes the strong glue and lays it in thin layers.

00:52:19Layers need to be dense to make the entire nest stronger and sturdier.

00:52:23Ta-da!

00:52:24The core is done.

00:52:25The queen then wraps the nest in some sort of an envelope, light, thin sheets made of

00:52:30macerated pulp.

00:52:31It protects the cells inside and limits the entrance, so you can only go inside through

00:52:35one tiny hole.

00:52:37This way, they can easily maintain the internal humidity and temperature.

00:52:41If you're looking for honey, the wrong hide.

00:52:43Bees have it, not wasps.

00:52:45They mostly have black and yellow bodies, although wasps come in many different colors

00:52:50like blue, orange, green, red.

00:52:53Wasps and bees are almost the same size.

00:52:56Bees are chunkier and have more hair.

00:52:59Wasps are thinner and smoother.

00:53:01They have a waist and a narrow petiole.

00:53:03They both pollinate flowers, even though wasps do it a little bit less than bees because

00:53:08they don't have so much fine hair on their bodies, so the pollen can't stick to it.

00:53:13Bees farm nectar to produce honey, which is the food of their larvae.

00:53:17Wasps are way more aggressive.

00:53:19They eat meat, which means they bring other insects and bugs for their young, or their

00:53:23remains.

00:53:24Wasps identify each other by scent, but also, just like we do, by unique facial patterns.

00:53:30They are the first case where scientists discovered animals identifying faces the way humans do.

00:53:36Queens recognize other queens, and they're constantly battling to set up a hierarchy

00:53:40in the colony.

00:53:42That means each wasp knows who's in charge of work or food distribution, and who's there

00:53:46to bring the new larvae into this world.

00:53:49Wasps have a rich social life, so they need to memorize lots of faces, and also distinguish

00:53:54wasps that live in their nest from those that don't.

00:53:57Wasps are useful for humans because they eat insects, and by that, control the population

00:54:02of bugs that destroy crops.

00:54:05Wasps put so much effort to build their nests, and still, they only last when it's warm outside.

00:54:11They start building it from spring and live there until fall.

00:54:14The worker wasps don't survive cold winters, only some queens do because they have something

00:54:19similar to antifreeze in their blood.

00:54:21They're in charge of creating a new life for the new nest the next year.

00:54:25When a wasp colony is gone, some other species use their nests, like hoverflies.

00:54:30They look similar to wasps, but they survive winter.

00:54:34Just like wasp queens, hoverflies hibernate in sheltered places with a nice temperature,

00:54:39so abandoned wasp nests seem perfect.

00:54:41Hornets even come to active nests when wasps are still there and feed on debris.

00:54:46They don't even get stung.

00:54:48Only female wasps can sting, and they do it when defending themselves.

00:54:52A wasp queen can live up to a year, and worker wasps up to 22 days.

00:54:57Paper wasp colonies are mostly small.

00:54:59They have 100 to 200 cells, and up to 100 adults.

00:55:04Some bigger nests will have 400 cells, but yellow jackets build super nests you really

00:55:08want to stay away from.

00:55:10They have up to 15,000 worker wasps.

00:55:14Don't look up in tree canopies or outside of the house to find their nests.

00:55:18Instead, look within your walls or down so you don't stomp on them, because they build

00:55:22underground nests.

00:55:24Even though they're smaller than other wasp species, they're way more aggressive.

00:55:28Yellow jackets have strong instincts when it comes to protecting the nest, so they'll

00:55:32get mad if you violate their peace and try to sting you multiple times.

00:55:36They can do it, unlike bees that can only sting once.

00:55:40Bees will jab their barbed stingers into your skin, and that's also a part that holds their

00:55:44nerves, muscles, and digestive tract.

00:55:47That's why a bee can't survive losing a barbed stinger.

00:55:50Yellow jackets don't lose anything.

00:55:52Running away won't help.

00:55:53They'll follow you for several hundred feet if necessary.

00:55:56If you're near the water, don't dive in, because they'll patiently wait for you to run out

00:56:00of breath and go back to the surface.

00:56:04Let's walk into their nest.

00:56:05There's probably a hole in the ground because they mostly find some abandoned burrows.

00:56:10They use clay or mud to give it a firmer structure.

00:56:13One opening will take you beneath the surface, into their fascinating underground city with

00:56:17thousands of others, ready to defend their home and aggressively drive intruders away.

00:56:22These super nests can develop when winters are mild and there's a lot of food, for example,

00:56:27your pet's food or garbage.

00:56:29This way, more insects will survive the cold winter months.

00:56:32Then, some workers survive and continue with all operations in the nest, which only gets

00:56:37bigger and bigger.

00:56:39Such huge nests often have multiple queens.

00:56:42The bigger the nest is, the busier they are, so they're more likely to leave you alone

00:56:46even if you're somewhere around.

00:56:47Oh look, it's raining!

00:56:50They don't mind that much.

00:56:51During the hot summer days, they need water to hydrate anyway.

00:56:55If the rain gets too excessive, though, it will drive them outside.

00:56:59Many wasp species are social, but there are solitary wasps, too.

00:57:03They don't have a social organization.

00:57:06Each female builds its own nest and takes care of it.

00:57:09They mostly nest in the ground, but you can find them in rotten wood or hollow plant stems.

00:57:14A queen wasp can even find beetle tunnels in deadwood and make them her home.

00:57:19They feed on nectar, and you can often see them around flowers, preying on spiders or

00:57:24insects to feed their young.

00:57:28So you're at home, enjoying your evening tea under a warm blanket, when all of a sudden

00:57:33you see a huge, no, enormous mosquito.

00:57:37Its long and gangly legs have a span of your palm, and it clumsily bumps into all the obstacles

00:57:43it meets.

00:57:44Despite its awkward appearance, it's still terrifying.

00:57:47What if it carries malaria?

00:57:49What if it eats you alive in your sleep?

00:57:51Slowly, not to draw the monster's attention to yourself, you get out from your soft chair

00:57:57and run for it into the bathroom, lock yourself in there, and open the browser on your phone.

00:58:03After a few seconds, you draw a ragged breath of relief.

00:58:07Turns out it's just a crane fly, not a mosquito at all.

00:58:11It might look like a ferocious beast, but it's actually peaceful and even defenseless.

00:58:16Many crane flies don't even have mouths, so they don't eat at all, and those that

00:58:21have a mouthpiece will only munch on sweet flower nectar.

00:58:25Crane flies are really clumsy in the air.

00:58:28Their rather short wings are no match for their huge bodies and long legs, so they're

00:58:33slow and it's easy to catch them.

00:58:36Birds and frogs, as well as bats and cats, love them as a treat.

00:58:40The only way they can avoid being eaten is by losing a limb.

00:58:44Their legs easily break off even when nothing touches them.

00:58:49And if you're still unconvinced not to scram and set your house on fire when you see one,

00:58:54consider this.

00:58:55Crane flies can tell you if the water pool you're about to swim in is of good quality.

00:59:00If you see these bugs on or above the water, you're good to go.

00:59:04Even more, fishers often make their bait look like the crane fly larvae.

00:59:09This makes it more appetizing for the fish!

00:59:13But while googling, you get engrossed with reading up on some other weird and crazy bugs.

00:59:18For example, here's the human-faced stink bug.

00:59:22Nah, they don't really stink, at least for humans.

00:59:25They give off pheromones that attract other stink bugs, letting them know there's food

00:59:29nearby.

00:59:31The most peculiar feature of it is in the name.

00:59:34A man-faced stink bug has a face on its back with three black dots drawn in red.

00:59:40The vibrant color of its back warns predators that the bug isn't tasty or even poisonous,

00:59:46while the black eyes draw attention from them to the vulnerable head.

00:59:52Saddleback caterpillar's name is also quite telling.

00:59:55It looks like some creature from another planet with a bright green saddle over its back.

01:00:00And the saddle is, sadly, the only safe part of the thing to touch.

01:00:04The spines you see all over the rest of its body are sharp and highly poisonous.

01:00:09If you want to give it a friendly tap on the back, make sure you don't touch anything

01:00:13else.

01:00:14Well, well, we have a titan beetle next.

01:00:18Meet the largest beetle in the whole world!

01:00:20It can grow as long as your entire palm, complete with fingers!

01:00:24Seeing one in the wild can be a shocking experience, especially if it flies right in your face.

01:00:30But don't fret, thankfully, this giant is placid and won't bite you if you don't

01:00:36mean it harm.

01:00:37Still, if you make it angry, never let its mandibles touch you!

01:00:42The bug will hiss and bite, and what such snap can crack a pencil in half?

01:00:47What's interesting, an adult titan beetle doesn't feed at all.

01:00:51It doesn't need food to survive.

01:00:53As a larva, it gets enough energy to keep it well-nourished even when grown up.

01:00:57Ooh, I'd love that ability!

01:01:00An even more menacing-looking bug is a giant weeda.

01:01:04Living in New Zealand, these cricket-like creatures look like someone forgot to lock

01:01:08the portal to the infernal.

01:01:09A massive, beefy body with six thorny legs, long alien-looking antennae, and big mandibles

01:01:17that just might cut steel.

01:01:19Well, in fact, these giant insects are quite peaceful and won't bite unless provoked.

01:01:26And even if they do, it's not as bad as you might think.

01:01:29There are videos with weedas biting hands of people holding them and doing no harm at

01:01:34all.

01:01:35So don't let it scare you, even though such an insect might weigh more than a full-fledged

01:01:39sparrow.

01:01:41Atlas moths look like they have three heads, two of which are serpents.

01:01:46These pretty nocturnal fliers have strange shapes on the tips of their wings that look

01:01:50like snake heads.

01:01:51This seems to be their mode of defense from predators.

01:01:54And that's also why they're sometimes called cobra moths.

01:01:59In Southeast Asia and India, where they normally dwell, atlas moths are often found on butterfly

01:02:05farms producing silk.

01:02:07And that's some sight!

01:02:08The wingspan of one such moth can reach 10 inches!

01:02:12That's larger than your hand!

01:02:14Peacock spiders are perhaps the cutest arachnids in the world, second maybe only to their jumping

01:02:20cousins.

01:02:21They're so tiny, you probably wouldn't even notice one scrambling through your kitchen.

01:02:26But if you get a chance to take a closer look, do it!

01:02:30Peacock spiders are beautiful.

01:02:32They have large beady eyes, a shiny blue and red coat, and cute fuzz on their body and

01:02:37legs.

01:02:38And their mating dance is something else entirely.

01:02:41Too bad they only live in Australia.

01:02:44Another moth on the list – the hummingbird moth.

01:02:48Remember the atlas one, how huge it was?

01:02:50Well, this one's as big as a hummingbird and holds much more resemblance to its namesake

01:02:55than that.

01:02:56The speed at which it flutters its wings, the long tongue to drink flower nectar, and

01:03:02even the sound it makes when flying – all of it makes you wonder if it's really a

01:03:06moth after all.

01:03:07Of course, the fuzzy critter is absolutely safe, and you should consider yourself lucky

01:03:12if you ever see one.

01:03:15Long-horned orb-weaver spider is one of the most unusual arachnids in the world.

01:03:20It's just your regular spider in all respects, but for some reason, it boasts two long curved

01:03:26horns on its back.

01:03:28The back itself is bright orange to ward off predators, red means danger.

01:03:33But scientists are still unsure why this spider needs those prongs, so there's a web of

01:03:39mystery for you.

01:03:41The soft rustling of leaves underneath, a pile of them slightly moving, and a big, mighty

01:03:47horn shows up.

01:03:48It's the Hercules beetle, one of the largest beetles on the planet.

01:03:53Almost half of its size comes from that horn on its head.

01:03:56Thanks to this wonderful appendage, you know exactly it's a male.

01:04:01Females don't have it at all.

01:04:04Yet the name comes not only from the horn, but from the amazing ability of this giant

01:04:08to haul extremely heavy loads.

01:04:11Its strength is second only to dung beetles.

01:04:14A Hercules can carry as much as 850 times its own weight.

01:04:19If you ever see a bug with five heads wearing a pointy cap, no, you're not on another planet.

01:04:26It's a Brazilian treehopper.

01:04:28Straight from a sci-fi movie and onto your screens here, this insect is a real mystery.

01:04:34It's small and secretive, and much is still unknown about it.

01:04:38No one knows why exactly the treehoppers have these fuzzy balls on their heads.

01:04:43But they've only got one head, after all.

01:04:46That much is certain.

01:04:48Going for a swim in a freshwater pond somewhere in the African tropics, watch your toes!

01:04:54You can get a giant water bug hunting them.

01:04:56It's a predatory bug and the largest of its kind.

01:05:00With those huge pincers, it's no wonder it's commonly known as an alligator flea

01:05:05and a toe-biter.

01:05:07The bite of this water-dwelling monster is really quite powerful.

01:05:11It grabs its prey with the front legs and then slowly munches on it.

01:05:15And when I say it's a predator, I mean it.

01:05:18Giant water bugs' favorite food is fish and amphibians.

01:05:24Despite their name, scorpion flies aren't related to scorpions.

01:05:28They get this moniker thanks to their tails, which look a lot like the notorious arachnids.

01:05:33Seeing a flying scorpion is a daunting sight at best, but fear not, these critters are

01:05:38small and gentle, and they can't even bite you.

01:05:42Only the males have such a tail, and they use it to attract females.

01:05:47Hey!

01:05:48What do you imagine when you hear the words, walking stick?

01:05:52Certainly not a bug, but that's exactly what it is.

01:05:55Look at this twig and try to guess.

01:05:58Is there something alive on it or not?

01:06:00Yes, and no.

01:06:02This twig is not a twig at all.

01:06:04It is a walking stick.

01:06:07These insects have developed a fascinating camouflage.

01:06:10They're long and unassuming, able to stay still for hours on end, which makes them look

01:06:16like dry twigs.

01:06:17But as soon as you touch one, it scrambles away on its gangly legs.

01:06:23Thanks to their appearance, predatory birds often miss walking sticks in the dense foliage.

01:06:28And their Australian kin give off a pleasant scent, something like peanut butter, yum!

01:06:37Harlequin beetle looks formidable, and it is.

01:06:40This bug's body reaches 3 inches in length, and its front legs are often even longer than

01:06:46that.

01:06:47They help it crawl on trees, getting from branch to branch, and males also use them

01:06:52to impress females.

01:06:56Despite the looks, harlequin beetles aren't really dangerous.

01:07:00They won't bite you even if you corner them.

01:07:03And if you, by any chance, grow cabbage in your backyard, you probably would try to corner

01:07:09them.

01:07:10These bugs feed on its leaves.

01:07:12Still, better not to touch them with your bare hands.

01:07:15They exude a foul-smelling liquid that both stinks and stings, causing skin irritation.

01:07:21Wear those gloves, will ya?

01:07:24You know what also stinks?

01:07:26No, besides my socks.

01:07:29Squash bugs.

01:07:31If you have a garden patch, these pests can be more than just a nuisance.

01:07:35They could spoil the squash you've been lovingly growing for the fall, hence the name.

01:07:41And if you squash them, they begin to smell just awful, hence the pun.

01:07:46Squash bugs are also often mistaken for stink bugs, but those are even more notorious.

01:07:53They begin stinking even if you so much as touch them.

01:07:56Wow, sensitive!

01:07:59Giraffe weevil is probably the most harmless little fella on this list, but not much is

01:08:04known about it yet.

01:08:06It gets its name from the long, spiny neck.

01:08:09This adaptation helps them build nests and fight over other weevils for food and mates.

01:08:15It may be placid, but the red covering of its wings lets predators know the bug is either

01:08:21foul-tasting or poisonous.

01:08:23Or both!

01:08:25Likewise, you shouldn't eat monarch butterflies or their caterpillars.

01:08:30These beautiful insects are often kept as pets and were once almost chosen as the national

01:08:35insect of the US.

01:08:37But the little-known fact is that they're highly poisonous.

01:08:41Monarchs feed on milkweed, a plant containing a potent toxin.

01:08:45They've acquired immunity to it, and, as a side effect, butterflies accumulate the

01:08:50toxin in their bodies.

01:08:52This makes them a very unappetizing dish for birds and other predators.

01:08:56The concentration is so high that even humans that accidentally or not eat a monarch caterpillar

01:09:03can experience quite unpleasant consequences.

01:09:09Mealworm beetles are abundant almost anywhere, so you must've seen them.

01:09:13The most probable place to find them is a poultry farm, though.

01:09:18Mealworm larvae are often used to feed farm birds, and that's where the danger lies.

01:09:25Mealworms carry lots of diseases that can spread among birds and then to humans.

01:09:30They also like to eat chicken food and even insulation on farms, so they're not the

01:09:35best choice of a meal for birds, despite their name.

01:09:39And adult beetles produce a poison that's not harmful in small doses but causes allergy

01:09:44in high concentrations.

01:09:46If you happen to be at a poultry farm, make sure you avoid those beetles!

01:09:52Tiger beetles come in lots of shapes and colors.

01:09:55But they all have two traits in common – long, thin legs and sharp, sword-like mandibles.

01:10:02Those legs allow them to run faster than almost any other insect.

01:10:06So fast, in fact, that when they're on a hunt, they sometimes have to stop and look

01:10:10around for a few seconds.

01:10:13Their eyes and brain simply can't process the picture quickly enough, so they wait for

01:10:17the landscape to load around them.

01:10:21Most tiger beetles are harmless.

01:10:23But if you see one with an orange pattern on its back, don't touch it!

01:10:27These bugs produce cyanide to protect themselves, and this chemical can do a lot of harm both

01:10:33to animals and people.

01:10:35If you touch a tiger beetle and then rub your mouth or eyes, it might cause severe irritation.

01:10:42Oh, look!

01:10:43See that wonderful pattern on a flower over there?

01:10:46Looks like an impressionist painting.

01:10:48And in a sense, it is.

01:10:50That's a Picasso bug!

01:10:52These critters feed on plants and are mostly placid.

01:10:56But think twice if you want to take a closer look.

01:10:59It's not a ladybug.

01:11:00When touched, it'll emit a strong odor that's not exactly flowery.

01:11:06Worse still, you might have a hard time getting rid of the stench even hours after the encounter.

01:11:13Walking out of a pine forest, you notice a weird movement right beneath your feet.

01:11:18It looks like a little fuzzy train that's several dozen feet long.

01:11:22In fact, it's a defense technique of pine processionary caterpillars.

01:11:27They travel nose to tail in large groups to protect each other.

01:11:32They look really particular, but trying to disrupt the column isn't the best idea.

01:11:38Each car of this natural train has hundreds of needle-sharp bristles.

01:11:43If you touch any of them with your bare hand, they'll first cause sharp pain and then

01:11:48some other unpleasant reactions.

01:11:51Predators don't like pine processionaries for the same reason.

01:11:56Asian giant hornets live mostly in Asian countries, but they were reported in North America in

01:12:012019.

01:12:04These beasts are big, yellow, and vicious.

01:12:07It's impossible to confuse a giant hornet with any other bee or wasp.

01:12:11They're much larger and a lot more aggressive.

01:12:15But the worst thing about them is their stinger, which is more than three times longer than

01:12:19that of a honeybee.

01:12:22The stinger contains a really potent venom, and several stings from an Asian giant hornet

01:12:27can bring down even a large animal and a human too.

01:12:32And if that wasn't enough, these creatures can even spray their venom, aiming at the

01:12:36eyes.

01:12:37Needless to say, that's an unforgettable experience.

01:12:42Linomia is a rather unassuming little moth that doesn't pose a threat to anyone.

01:12:48But before it becomes a moth, it has to go through a caterpillar stage.

01:12:53And that's when you don't want to cross its path.

01:12:58Linomia caterpillars are covered in hair-thin bristles that contain a powerful venom.

01:13:03But even if you know not to touch them, you still might get pricked.

01:13:09Caterpillars perfectly blend in with tree trunks to add to their protection.

01:13:12A person might unknowingly lean on a trunk with linomias huddled on it, and they won't

01:13:18hesitate to stick those needles into the unlucky guest.

01:13:22If you get stung, immediately seek medical attention.

01:13:26Now, let's admit, all centipedes are terrifying.

01:13:30And perhaps one of the most horrible species is a Texas red-headed centipede.

01:13:36First of all, it looks like it's ascended from your deepest, darkest nightmares.

01:13:40A black, sectioned body, dozens of yellowish legs that look more like claws, and a red

01:13:45head with two long horns.

01:13:47A picture enough to make me run for it in a split second.

01:13:51Here I go!

01:13:53Being pretty large, these crawlers have a voracious appetite, munching on toads, lizards,

01:13:59and an occasional rat.

01:14:01Sometimes, when desperate, they can even catch a bat right in the middle of a flight.

01:14:07And of course, red-headed centipedes are venomous, fitting for such an appearance.

01:14:11Luckily, they're not interested in humans.

01:14:15And that's mutual.

01:14:18This critter isn't large, but it's very defensive, meaning you don't want to cross

01:14:22it.

01:14:23Its name speaks for itself – the Devil's Coach Horse.

01:14:27A total black bug that resembles an earwig, it will raise its behind and open its powerful

01:14:33jaws when threatened.

01:14:35This pose makes it look like a scorpion, and at this point, better back off.

01:14:41If you don't, the Devil's Coach Horse will start to emit a foul stench and ooze

01:14:47unpleasant liquid from its mouth for defense.

01:14:50And if that doesn't scare you off, it will eventually bite, which is quite painful, you

01:14:55know.

01:14:56Just leave the beast alone, okay?

01:15:00Velvet ants aren't ants at all.

01:15:02They're a kind of wingless wasp that just look a lot like ants.

01:15:07These bugs don't form large colonies and usually live alone, hiding in tall grass.

01:15:13This behavior has given them another nickname – cow ants.

01:15:17Because when a cow is grazing nearby, it might step on a velvet ant and get a painful bite

01:15:23in return.

01:15:26Humans also get bitten sometimes, especially if they walk barefoot.

01:15:30Velvet ants are venomous, but their venom is less potent than that of bees, so it's

01:15:35not really dangerous.

01:15:37Still, the pain from such a bite is serious.

01:15:41And if you want to squash this bug, good luck!

01:15:44They have an unusually tough carapace that protects them from other stinging insects

01:15:49and even birds.

01:15:52Puss moths get their name from their furry, fuzzy appearance.

01:15:56It's like their little fluffy flying kitties.

01:16:00Moths might be cute, but their caterpillars, as always, should only be looked at, not touched.

01:16:07Despite the even fuzzier looks, a puss caterpillar is covered in thousands of hollow spines that

01:16:13break off the critter's back upon contact and inject their venom.

01:16:19And what a venom it is!

01:16:21Puss caterpillars are the most venomous caterpillars in the U.S.

01:16:25One sting of this little monster can result in days and even weeks of sickness.

01:16:31And if you're allergic to it, then I can only wish you best of luck!

01:16:38Around 80% of all animals on Earth are insects.

01:16:43But how well do you know their world?

01:16:46Let's see if you can guess whether these amazing facts are myths or true.

01:16:51Here's the first one.

01:16:53Cockroaches can run on two legs, just like humans.

01:16:57Myth or true?

01:17:00That's correct.

01:17:00Cockroaches don't do it just for fun.

01:17:03Running on two legs is more energy efficient because it's easier for their little brains to process.

01:17:09If you take a closer look at the cockroach, you're going to spot that all pairs of legs have different lengths.

01:17:16This creates unnecessary drag when the cockroach needs to reach high speeds.

01:17:21Their nervous system can get overloaded and confused by trying to control all three pairs of legs.

01:17:27So it chooses to move just one pair, the rear legs that use energy most efficiently.

01:17:34Check this out.

01:17:35A full moon makes mosquitoes bite 500% more actively.

01:17:41Myth or true?

01:17:43True.

01:17:44Just like werewolves, mosquitoes get fierce when the moon is full.

01:17:48That's because they use visual cues and receptors to spot their next dinner.

01:17:53And it's way easier to do so when the moon is full.

01:17:57Mosquitoes spot movement by detecting infrared radiation emitted by warm bodies at distances of up to 115 feet.

01:18:08Saltmarsh mosquitoes took this to the next level.

01:18:11They're such gourmets that they can travel up to 40 miles just for the sake of eating.

01:18:19Only male mosquitoes bite.

01:18:21Does it sound real?

01:18:23Nope.

01:18:23In fact, only female mosquitoes do bite people or animals because they need a blood meal to produce eggs.

01:18:30On average, they take in about 5 millionths of a liter during one feeding.

01:18:36Meanwhile, male mosquitoes prefer eating plant juices such as nectar.

01:18:41It's enough for them to get the necessary sugar and boost their energy levels.

01:18:46And since males don't bite, they cannot transmit diseases.

01:18:50But females, on the other hand, can get infected with germs when they bite sick people or animals.

01:18:57Here's the next fact.

01:18:58Alligator ticks are called so because they can reach the size of a crocodile.

01:19:03True or false?

01:19:05That's false.

01:19:06But still, it's the largest aquatic insect on Earth.

01:19:10According to Guinness World Records,

01:19:12Toe biter, or sometimes called an alligator tick, can grow to be more than 4 inches long,

01:19:18which is basically the size of an average leaf.

01:19:21They can be found around the world, but they're especially common in North America.

01:19:27Toe biters perfectly blend into the landscape because their dark brown body mimics the leaves of the wetlands.

01:19:35They're predatory by nature.

01:19:37Usually, they eat small tadpoles and other insects.

01:19:40But sometimes, they take down bigger prey like snakes and even turtles.

01:19:46Those who experienced meeting these creatures claim that their bites are the most painful injuries a human can suffer.

01:19:54Flies can poison your food just by landing on it.

01:19:57Myth or true?

01:20:00Unfortunately, that's true.

01:20:02Not only are flies annoying, but they also regurgitate some of their stomach contents when they land on your food.

01:20:08And house flies are just one of many fly species that do so.

01:20:15It happens because flies don't have teeth.

01:20:18Instead of chewing, they use their straw-shaped mouth to slurp their food.

01:20:23They secrete digestive juices on their future meal as they land on it.

01:20:27And once the food has been liquefied, the flies are able to slurp it up.

01:20:32But the real danger lies with their feet, not their mouths.

01:20:36Flies spend a lot of time walking on all sorts of dirty things, which can be sources of disease.

01:20:42Studies have revealed that flies can transfer bacteria even if they're only in contact with an area for a short period of time.

01:20:50So if you ever spot some flies hanging around your food, it makes sense to cover it.

01:20:55Or, if you're concerned about your health, even forget about finishing your meal.

01:21:02Here comes the next fact.

01:21:04Females of toe biters carry their eggs on their backs.

01:21:08That's false. In fact, they lay eggs on their males' backs.

01:21:12After that, the future father carries the eggs as a backpack wherever he goes.

01:21:18As sweet as it sounds, this sight is still pretty disgusting, and it might send shivers down your spine.

01:21:25And more bad news. Even though they're called water bugs, they can fly.

01:21:29So don't just watch out below because they can approach from the sky.

01:21:35Next fact. Ants are one of the most dominant animals on the planet. True or myth?

01:21:43True. Collectively, ants alone contribute up to 20% of the entire animal biomass on the planet.

01:21:51These creatures are pretty ancient. They appeared around 160 million years ago

01:21:57and took over a wide variety of ecological niches.

01:22:01As a result, today they count about 16,000 different species with over 10,000 trillion individuals.

01:22:11Check this out. Butterflies taste with their feet. Myth or true?

01:22:18Sounds like fiction, but it's true.

01:22:20Butterflies have taste receptors on their feet to help them find their host plant and select food.

01:22:28Female butterflies land on various plants and drum the leaves with their feet.

01:22:33This technique helps them squeeze juices from the plant.

01:22:37Their legs have spines with receptors, helping them to detect the right match of chemicals in the plant juice.

01:22:44And once a female butterfly finds the proper plant, she lays eggs.

01:22:50Also, both male and female butterflies step on their potential food to sense the content of dissolved sugars.

01:22:57Just imagine what human restaurants would look like if people were tasting with their feet.

01:23:04Next fact. Butterfly wings are transparent. Does it sound real?

01:23:10That's true. Butterflies have the image of colorful and vibrant creatures.

01:23:15But strangely enough, their wings are transparent.

01:23:20They are covered with thousands of tiny scales, and these scales reflect light in different colors.

01:23:27But underneath all of those scales, a butterfly wing consists of several layers of chitin.

01:23:34It's the same protein that makes up an insect's exoskeleton.

01:23:39These layers are so thin that you can see right through them.

01:23:43Butterflies only live from two to four short weeks, and you can determine their age by the quality of their wings.

01:23:51With age, the scales begin to fall off the wings, leaving transparent spots.

01:23:58Fruit flies were the first living creatures to be sent into space. Myth or true?

01:24:04True. A long time before sending dogs or humans into space, scientists studied fruit flies' reactions to radiation and space flights.

01:24:13This helped to predict how space conditions and zero gravity might influence human beings.

01:24:20Because we share many genes with fruit flies.

01:24:24And after several decades of research, on February 20th, 1947, fruit flies became the first living organism to go to space and return.

01:24:36Next fact. Caterpillars have two eyes. Myth or true?

01:24:42That's a myth. In fact, the majority of caterpillars have 12 eyes called stemata.

01:24:48If you look closely, you can see six tiny eyelids on each side of the caterpillar's head.

01:24:55One pair of eyes is usually placed closer to the antennae.

01:25:00It's easy to believe that 12 eyes would guarantee excellent eyesight, but that's not the case.

01:25:06A caterpillar uses them to distinguish light and dark and navigate its way.

01:25:11That's why sometimes caterpillars move their heads from side to side.

01:25:16Maybe they just love rap music. But scientists believe that it helps caterpillars understand the distance between objects.

01:25:24A few species of caterpillars have between 10 and 14 eyes.

01:25:28But these are usually more primitive forms, which also have several features making them different from other moths and butterflies.

01:25:38Scorpions can breathe underwater. Myth or true?

01:25:43That's false. Although scorpions are not very good swimmers, they can still store oxygen to survive underwater.

01:25:50And some species can hold their breath for up to six days.

01:25:54Scorpions can survive underwater thanks to the so-called book lungs, which actually look like a book.

01:26:01The pages of that book act like membranes that store oxygen.

01:26:06Since scorpions don't waste a lot of oxygen on dry land, they can just store the rest in their lungs.

01:26:13And once a scorpion enters the water, it has around 48 hours to hang out carefree.

01:26:18After that, it will need to come out of the water for the next inhale.

01:26:22And this cute little creature is called the northern pseudoscorpion.

01:26:27It's the breath holding champion among scorpions.

01:26:29It can hold its breath for up to 17 days.

01:26:33Let's just hope it doesn't learn to fly.

01:26:38You know, scorpions are interesting little creatures. Six legs, two claws, and a powerful stinger.

01:26:44Now, what if humans also wore exoskeletons to protect themselves?

01:26:48So an exoskeleton is mainly made up of chitin, which is a complex material found in insects and reptiles.

01:26:55Thanks to their exoskeletons, these tiny creatures can defend themselves and perform acts of superhuman strength.

01:27:03If you wore a scorpion exoskeleton, you'd be able to climb up any building you wanted.

01:27:08With massive claws in the front, it would be easy to grab hold of things and even cut through them.

01:27:13Might be hard to open a bag of chips though.

01:27:16But at night, you'd have problems, UV rays.

01:27:19They wouldn't hurt you or cut through you or anything, but you'd definitely glow in the dark.

01:27:25Not exactly ideal for sneaking up on someone.

01:27:28A scorpion's tail is venomous and packs a nasty sting.

01:27:32You could use it to sting anyone in your way.

01:27:34Plus, it's long enough that you could defend yourself from a safe distance.

01:27:39Scorpions live all over the world in some of the harshest environments,

01:27:43from freezing icy landscapes to scorching hot deserts.

01:27:46If it freezes, a scorpion can even thaw itself out under the sun.

01:27:52This next creature also has two claws and six legs, but it doesn't have a stinger.

01:27:57It's the mighty crab.

01:27:58Its shell is a lot more powerful than a scorpion's, and it's surprisingly quick.

01:28:03So, you'd be seriously powerful in one of those.

01:28:06The downside is you'd only be able to walk sideways.

01:28:09And you'd be delicious to someone like me.

01:28:13There are almost 5,000 species of crab all over the world, each with special skills.

01:28:18In a crab costume, you'd definitely be a master digger.

01:28:22Sure, you'd be doing it sideways, but those legs and claws can get the job done.

01:28:27If there were crab-inspired bodysuits, they'd most likely be made for digging.

01:28:32You could even work underwater.

01:28:34You'd be agile, strong, and you'd look awesome.

01:28:38Humans in ant suits would dominate any construction site.

01:28:41Ants live in colonies around most of the world and rely on strength and numbers.

01:28:46But that doesn't mean each little ant's weak or anything.

01:28:49Just the opposite.

01:28:50There are actually already exoskeleton suits out there to help humans do some heavy lifting.

01:28:56But to use the actual strength of an ant would be a game-changer.

01:29:00An ant can lift around 1,000 times its own weight.

01:29:04In a group, they can drag a bird across a field without breaking a sweat.

01:29:09What's even crazier is that they can carry things while they're climbing straight up a wall.

01:29:13Or even upside down.

01:29:15Wow!

01:29:16Imagine a group of humans dragging a jet fighter up the side of the Empire State Building.

01:29:21There wouldn't be any need for bulldozers or cranes anymore.

01:29:24Just strap into an ant suit and get her done.

01:29:28Buildings could be inspired by those huge underground ant colonies.

01:29:32Ants are amazing at making tunnels.

01:29:35Imagine wearing a body suit that flies through the air like a stealth craft.

01:29:39If you wore a hornet suit, you'd have it made.

01:29:42They have a tough exoskeleton that's surprisingly light and easy to maneuver.

01:29:47Picture a fleet of strong flying acrobats.

01:29:50Oh, and don't forget the stinger.

01:29:52Most people think of hornets as pests, but they're not.

01:29:55They do a lot of good for the ecosystem, like eating up those pesky mosquitoes.

01:30:00Having a hornet suit would be essential for any kind of undercover work.

01:30:04Not so much for office work.

01:30:06A strong, aerodynamic body suit with a powerful stinger?

01:30:09Hey, sign me up!

01:30:12An armadillo uses keratin to make its body suit.

01:30:15You know, the stuff your hair and nails are made of?

01:30:18What makes it unique is that it's foldable and durable at the same time.

01:30:22It's made up of hexagon-shaped plates that go all over its back.

01:30:27When there's danger around, it can roll up into a ball.

01:30:31Scientists are studying how to make durable bending glass just like the armadillo's

01:30:35body plates.

01:30:36Humans wouldn't be 100% protected with this thing on, but they'd be able to withstand

01:30:41pretty much anything.

01:30:42You could jump out of a plane, no parachute, land on a rooftop, brush it off, roll off

01:30:48the edge, and land safely on a nearby car, all while being chased by tricked-out cars

01:30:52and helicopters.

01:30:53Nah, I've been streaming too many movies.

01:30:58Being one of the slowest animals on Earth does come with an advantage.

01:31:01You got a heavy shell on you 24-7 for protection.

01:31:05Just like armadillos, tortoise shells are made of keratin.

01:31:09What's sweet about its shell is that it grows with the tortoise.

01:31:12Crabs and other shelled animals have to keep replacing theirs as they outgrow them.

01:31:17Humans would be almost invincible if they wore tortoise suits, but they'd be insanely

01:31:22slow and draw a lot of attention.

01:31:24Still, if something goes down, you could just hide in your shell and wait it out.

01:31:30Hopping around from place to place would be pretty sweet, but what about flying?

01:31:35Grasshoppers can do both!

01:31:36They have a set of wings they tuck in behind them, which they unleash after their epic

01:31:40take-off jump.

01:31:42Oh, and they come in all shapes and sizes – great for camouflage!

01:31:46A grasshopper can jump around 10 inches high and 3 feet long.

01:31:51Far?

01:31:52Out?

01:31:53Well, that far.

01:31:54Anyway, it's all thanks to its back legs.

01:31:57Grasshoppers basically catapult themselves when they feel threatened or when they see

01:32:01something delicious.

01:32:03If you had a grasshopper suit, you'd be able to jump a whole football field in one go.

01:32:08You can forget about being stuck in traffic.

01:32:11It might not be the most powerful armor, but with those jumping skills and landing skills,

01:32:16getting your weekend shopping done would be a breeze.

01:32:19Or you could be the world's coolest pizza delivery person.

01:32:22Just imagine the tips!

01:32:24The biggest animal on this list doesn't really have an exoskeleton, but it does have

01:32:29a thick, thick skin.

01:32:31This massive beast's one of the most powerful mammals on Earth, and it comes with a strong

01:32:35horn near its nose for protection.

01:32:38Any guesses?

01:32:39It might look scary, but that humongous rhino's an herbivore – it's not gonna eat you.

01:32:45But rhinos do attack when they feel provoked, so keep your distance.

01:32:49Their thick skin makes them look like a tank, and it keeps them nice and warm.

01:32:54With your rhino suit on, you'd have a monster advantage over the average human.

01:32:58The thick skin suit would be really useful for extreme weather conditions, cold or hot.

01:33:03And a horn on the top of your head would send a pretty powerful message.

01:33:07And it's not just beep-beep.

01:33:10Jaws that look like antlers?

01:33:12Six legs?

01:33:13Meet the stag beetle.

01:33:15Its oversized jaws are used for impressing its friends, and sometimes for a little wrestling.

01:33:20But don't worry, these fearsome jaws aren't strong enough to hurt you.

01:33:24A human stag beetle suit would be pretty weird if you saw one walking down the street.

01:33:29But who knows what people will be into in 10-20 years?

01:33:33Maybe this'll be the future of wrestling!

01:33:36This reptile has the toughest skin of its kind.

01:33:39Reptiles are fearsome animals, virtually unchanged since the days of the dinosaurs.

01:33:44Our modern-day croc is still top of the food chain, with scales on its back and a very

01:33:49soft underbelly.

01:33:50Its scales are made from some of the most durable materials out there.

01:33:54And don't forget that powerful jaw!

01:33:56It can crush watermelons like chewing gum.

01:33:59A human croc suit would be fast, strong, but mostly limited to hanging around lakes and

01:34:04rivers.

01:34:05It's a great thing to be wearing during a game of hide-and-seek, though.

01:34:09You're it!

01:34:11This last creature takes the grand prize.

01:34:14Toughest exoskeleton ever.

01:34:16It's smaller than a rhino for sure.

01:34:18Presenting the iron-clad beetle.

01:34:21Even the name makes people's knees weak.

01:34:23This beetle has interlocking wing covers that make it twice as strong as it should be.

01:34:28But get this, it doesn't even fly.

01:34:30Yeah, it doesn't need to escape from danger.

01:34:33Whatever you throw at it, it can't be hurt, dented, or even crushed.

01:34:37Not even by a car!

01:34:39These beetles can live up to 2 years, way longer than other beetles who only stick around

01:34:44for a couple of weeks or months.

01:34:46A human suit based on the iron-clad beetle?

01:34:49Wow, that name gets me every time.

01:34:51It'd probably be resistant to just about any collision.

01:34:55Walking through moving traffic would be like strolling in the park on a warm afternoon.

01:34:59This suit would be perfect for deep-sea exploration since it's resistant to pressure.

01:35:04That'd make it excellent for outer space adventures too!

01:35:09Meet the tiny terrors of our world.

01:35:12Fire ants.

01:35:13When they sting, they inject venom that can cause serious trouble.

01:35:17For most people, it's just a fiery sensation in raised bumps.

01:35:21But for others, especially those who are allergic to it, it's life-threatening.

01:35:26These ants set up their camps right under your feet.

01:35:28They're quick to swarm and are fiercely protective of their colonies.

01:35:32They show no mercy to intruders.

01:35:35Their stings are rated about 1.2 on the Schmidt Insect Sting Index, where 4 is the maximum.

01:35:43It feels like a sudden jewel, but the sensations are less burning than when a bee stings you.

01:35:48They originated in tropical regions like Central and South America, but now you can find them

01:35:54even in some temperate zones like North America.

01:35:58In their colonies, fire ants have a strict hierarchy of queen, winged males and females,

01:36:04and different types of workers.

01:36:06They communicate through chemicals and sounds.

01:36:09The most famous member of this genus is the red imported fire ant.

01:36:13They've come from South America and invaded the southern U.S.

01:36:17They build large mounds, making farming difficult and damaging crops.

01:36:21It's almost impossible to control them.

01:36:24And on top of that, there's now the rise of another invasive species – the tawny

01:36:29crazy ant.

01:36:30This one poses a threat to native ecosystems.

01:36:33Turns out ants can be dangerously unfriendly.

01:36:38Colorful blister beetles are among the 10 most dangerous insects in the world.

01:36:42Luckily, they're not lethal to humans unless they go for you in a big pack.

01:36:47However, they pose a serious threat to large animals such as horses.

01:36:52Blister beetles produce a toxin called cantharidin, which causes skin blistering in humans.

01:36:58In the past, people believed it could treat warts and even rabies, and some even used

01:37:02it in love potions.

01:37:03However, it's a risky game.

01:37:06In the 1950s, a man was jailed for giving cantharidin-laced candies to two women, resulting

01:37:12in a tragic outcome.

01:37:14These beetles are not to be messed with.

01:37:16Handling them or ingesting them is very dangerous.

01:37:19They're attracted to alfalfa and hay.

01:37:22If a horse eats either of those, even a few beetles can release enough cantharidin to

01:37:27end it.

01:37:30This cute caterpillar from South America is called Linomia obliqua, and it's the most

01:37:35dangerous caterpillar on Earth.

01:37:37It's responsible for several fatalities due to its potent venom.

01:37:41It's the larval stage of the giant silkworm moth.

01:37:45When it grows up, it becomes a beautiful and harmless silkworm.

01:37:49If you see them as youngsters, it's better to stay away.

01:37:52Its toxicity stems from venom-injecting bristles.

01:37:56They serve as a defense mechanism against predators.

01:37:59The poison messes up how your blood clots and can cause really bad symptoms like burning

01:38:04feelings, throwing up, kidney problems, and sometimes even lethal outcomes.

01:38:09A single bite probably won't lead to anything horrifying.

01:38:13It delivers only a tiny amount of venom.

01:38:15These caterpillars tend to congregate, and they're quite good at camouflage.

01:38:20This increases the risk of multiple stings.

01:38:25Locusts themselves aren't dangerous to humans.

01:38:28They're ordinary, loud grasshoppers.

01:38:30But they're infamous for their swarming behavior.

01:38:33These swarms often happen when there's a dry period with no rain.

01:38:37And then suddenly, a lot of rain falls, and plants start growing fast.

01:38:42Once it begins, it's nearly impossible to stop.

01:38:44They can become a destructive force within minutes.

01:38:48Throughout history, locust plagues have been devastating, wreaking havoc on crops and farmland.

01:38:53What's interesting is that the term locust can mean different things depending on where

01:38:58you're from.

01:38:59In some places, we're talking about cicadas, which are also known for their loud sounds.

01:39:04But true locusts are ancient creatures, relatively unchanged since the Triassic era.

01:39:10They're among the oldest insects on Earth.

01:39:13Wasps, hornets, and even bees can be extremely dangerous, especially to those allergic to

01:39:20their stings.

01:39:21The Asian giant hornet is the largest of the wasps.

01:39:24It can reach up to 2 inches in size.

01:39:27It packs a powerful venom that can cause serious discomfort and even spray into people's eyes.

01:39:33There's an even more venomous species in the Philippines called Vespa luctuosa, not to

01:39:38be confused with Expecto Patronum.

01:39:40Any Harry Potter fans?

01:39:42Anyway, fatalities because of wasps or bees are rare but not unheard of.

01:39:47In the UK, about 10 people pass away each year from bee or wasp sting reactions.

01:39:54Always stay cautious.

01:39:55All these insects are very territorial and will fiercely defend their hives.

01:40:00When provoked, they signal danger to nearby bees and instigate a mass defense effort.

01:40:06If you need to handle them, it's best to call professionals.

01:40:12A flea is tiny and humble, but it left a colossal impact on human history and health.

01:40:18They're not just annoying pests, they're notorious carriers of various human conditions,

01:40:23and are responsible for some of the worst outbreaks in history.

01:40:27Back in the 14th century, I forget where I was, but the bubonic plague wiped out over

01:40:3225 million people in Europe, and fleas were a big part of spreading it.

01:40:38Fleas spend their lives searching for warm-blooded hosts to feed on, whether it's reptiles,

01:40:43mammals, pets, or humans.

01:40:45Despite their tiny size and absence of wings, they make up for it with impressive jumping

01:40:50abilities.

01:40:51They can leap 6 feet and jump over 1,200 feet in the air.

01:40:55A flea bite might seem like a minor annoyance, causing itching and inflammation.

01:41:01But a lot of them can lead to anemia in their hosts.

01:41:04Of course, the most dangerous part about them is the viruses, bacteria, and worms they transmit.

01:41:11Kissing bugs mostly live in both Americas, with smaller populations in Africa and Asia.

01:41:17Despite the friendly name, they're great at passing on bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

01:41:23One of the parasites they carry is trypanosoma cruzi.

01:41:27It's the culprit behind illnesses that affect millions globally and claim thousands of lives

01:41:31each year.

01:41:33What's interesting is that symptoms don't often appear until 10 or 30 years after being

01:41:38bitten.

01:41:39They typically manifest as heart failure, digestive issues, or nervous system problems.

01:41:44They don't actually kiss you.

01:41:46They suck on you and are attracted to their prey by breath.

01:41:50If you breathe through your mouth, you're a target.

01:41:52They're messy biters, often biting chaotically and almost uncontrollably, which only adds

01:41:58to their unsettling nature.

01:42:02Many have heard of the tsetse fly, an unusual and scary insect from tropical Africa.

01:42:08These flies are carriers of one of the most devastating human diseases, sleeping sickness.

01:42:14Similar to the kissing bug, the tsetse fly transmits trypanosomes, the parasites that

01:42:19cause sleeping sickness.

01:42:21They acquire this parasite from an infected host or from within the fly's own body.

01:42:26Sleeping sickness doesn't strike immediately.

01:42:28After a bite, it takes 1-3 weeks for symptoms to appear.

01:42:32Fever, headaches, joint pains, and itchiness.

01:42:36As the illness progresses, it can invade the nervous system, leading to confusion, insomnia,

01:42:41and loss of balance.

01:42:43Without treatment, it can result in a coma and then a fatal outcome.

01:42:47Luckily, sleeping sickness can be treated, and the number of losses is declining.

01:42:52The tsetse fly holds historical significance too.

01:42:56Its presence has hindered European colonial expansion in Africa.

01:43:02And the crown of the most dangerous insect in the world goes to…

01:43:06The mosquito.

01:43:07It's no surprise why.

01:43:09Despite their small size, they wield a massive impact.

01:43:13They're not only responsible for more human losses annually than any other animal, but

01:43:17they've also left an indelible mark on history.

01:43:21These little insects influence the rise and fall of entire civilizations.

01:43:25For example, malaria significantly weakened ancient civilizations such as in Rome and

01:43:31Greece.

01:43:32What's interesting is that it's not just the mosquitoes themselves that are dangerous,

01:43:36but the parasites.

01:43:38Bacteria and viruses carry and transmit through their bites.

01:43:41These tiny horrors spread a buffet of diseases.

01:43:45Despite malaria, there's also yellow fever, which, just like with the tsetse fly, hindered

01:43:50European colonization efforts in tropical regions.

01:43:54The scariest one of them is the Anopheles mosquito.

01:43:56It's the apex predator of the insect world.

01:43:59It's responsible for more fatal outcomes and illnesses than any other insect.

01:44:05So how do we combat these tiny yet mighty foes?

01:44:09With prevention.

01:44:10We need to eliminate standing water in our surroundings and practice mosquito control

01:44:15measures.

01:44:16We must always stay one step ahead to protect ourselves and our communities from dangerous

01:44:21insects.

01:44:29So Barry is running along the shore of a lake as fast as possible.

01:44:33He knows that if he stops, his life will turn into a nightmare in no time.

01:44:38A thousand mosquitoes are about to bite him.

01:44:41But what he doesn't know is that he'll be okay after all.

01:44:45So don't be afraid, Barry, and stop.

01:44:48Mosquitoes are slow.

01:44:49They fly at a little more than 1 mile per hour.

01:44:52And you can't run forever.

01:44:55So after a couple of hours of pointless running, Barry stops.

01:44:59He sweats and emits a smell attracted to insects.

01:45:04One little mosquito flies up to him.

01:45:06It buzzes next to his ear, sits on his sweaty neck and bites.

01:45:10The insect pierces the skin with a special mouth apparatus called a proboscis.

01:45:16The mosquito starts pumping blood through this needle.

01:45:19Its saliva gets into Barry's body and causes an allergic reaction.

01:45:23More precisely, it's Barry's immune system that starts this reaction.

01:45:28It perceives the mosquito's saliva as an enemy and sends a unique chemical substance

01:45:33to the bite site.

01:45:35The fight between this substance and the invader causes an allergic reaction, redness,

01:45:40swelling, and the worst thing, itching.

01:45:44Barry can scratch himself for several hours or even days.

01:45:47It all depends on how his body will react to the bite.

01:45:50The mosquito fills up with Barry's blood and flies away.

01:45:54It does it not for pleasure, but because it needs to lay eggs.

01:45:59Protein in the blood is necessary for these insects to reproduce.

01:46:03Their eggs can't grow without this substance.

01:46:06Yeah, almost all biting mosquitoes are female.

01:46:10Male mosquitoes prefer plant and flower nectar.

01:46:13Hey, they're guys!

01:46:15So the female mosquito flies away from Barry.

01:46:18She sits down on the shore of the lake where a large mosquito base is located.

01:46:23Here these insects lay eggs, drink water, and chill in the sun.

01:46:27There are several hundred thousand of them, and they're all hungry.

01:46:32The female mosquito brings with her the smell of Barry's sweat, which is attractive to

01:46:36the rest of the mosquitoes too.

01:46:39There are about 3,500 species of these insects on Earth.

01:46:44Some of them love the smell of sugar, perfume, or deodorant, and some enjoy the smell of

01:46:49dirty feet.

01:46:52Your attractiveness to mosquitoes also depends on what you've eaten today.

01:46:56Lots of candies and chocolate?

01:46:58Great, now mosquitoes feel a faint sweet smell coming from you.

01:47:03Have you eaten garlic and onions?

01:47:05Mosquitoes probably won't want to deal with you.

01:47:08And not only they, most likely.

01:47:11So the smell of Barry's sweat is perfect for all mosquitoes on the shore.

01:47:15They go mad, take off, and head for the poor guy.

01:47:19If you walk near the water when the evening comes, if you're sweaty, wearing black clothes,

01:47:24and have O-type blood, then you have all the chances to get bitten by mosquitoes.

01:47:29And Barry meets all the criteria.

01:47:32The first mosquitoes land on Barry's feet.

01:47:34They bite him and start pumping blood.

01:47:37One tiny mosquito can draw a droplet of blood the size of half a grain of rice.

01:47:42It's nothing at all.

01:47:44But several dozen of these bites?

01:47:46It's bad.

01:47:47Barry fights mosquitoes off with his hands, but the insects keep coming.

01:47:51They can't miss such a delicious dinner.

01:47:5410, 20, 50, 100 mosquitoes!

01:47:59They cover Barry's legs.

01:48:00The skin swells and turns red.

01:48:03Barry feels a burning sensation.

01:48:05His immune system is working at 100% trying to reduce the damage and drive the enemies

01:48:10away.

01:48:11But the more actively Barry's body defenses work, the worse he feels.

01:48:17Mosquitoes sit on his hands and on his wet t-shirt stuck to his body.

01:48:20Yes, their mouthpiece can pierce a thin layer of fabric.

01:48:24Barry tries to run away.

01:48:26He stumbles over a rock and falls.

01:48:29Some insects finish their feast and fly away to tell their friends about the free food.

01:48:34Mosquitoes from all over the lake come to try Barry.

01:48:38Two hundred mosquitoes are drinking his blood.

01:48:40Three, five, seven, nine hundred.

01:48:43Now one thousand mosquitoes have bitten him.

01:48:47Together they have pumped out a small glass of blood.

01:48:50But the worst thing is they continue biting him.

01:48:53Nothing can stop them now even though they were supposed to bite him only a thousand

01:48:57times.

01:48:58Well, the only chance to escape is water.

01:49:01Barry, ignoring the itch, gets up and runs to the shore of the lake.

01:49:06Meanwhile, 100,000 mosquitoes have already bitten him.

01:49:09Sorry, Barry, but we have to entertain the audience.

01:49:12Don't worry, your recovery will be fast.

01:49:15He's getting closer and closer to the water.

01:49:18Mosquitoes are flying in front of his face so he can't see the road.

01:49:22But Barry keeps running, waving his hands.

01:49:25Meanwhile, you know this moment when you're sleeping and one mosquito flies into the room

01:49:30through the window?

01:49:31Just one.

01:49:32But its squeaky sound is so annoying.

01:49:35And now imagine a million mosquitoes making this noise.

01:49:39It's like a saxophone playing high notes.

01:49:42Sorry if you're a sax player.

01:49:43Well, Barry is slowing down.

01:49:46He's exhausted, and his heart is beating too fast.

01:49:49He no longer feels bites and itches.

01:49:52His body is becoming weak, but he's still moving toward the lake.

01:49:56Mosquitoes have already taken 3 soda cans of blood from him.

01:50:00And this is serious.

01:50:02Barry is running a fever and has clouded consciousness.

01:50:05His immune system is not coping.

01:50:08Barry can't run anymore.

01:50:09He's struggling to walk.

01:50:11It's getting harder to make every next step.

01:50:14The shore is only a few feet away, but it doesn't matter anymore since he has no energy

01:50:19to move.

01:50:20So, he just sits on the grass and accepts the situation.

01:50:24He's lost a large soda bottle of blood, and this is a lot.

01:50:28This is probably the most large-scale attack of mosquitoes on humans.

01:50:33And then, at the very last moment, salvation appears.

01:50:37A frog croaks nearby.

01:50:39And another one.

01:50:41Several dozen jumping animals are approaching the shore.

01:50:44They release their tongues like spears and catch mosquitoes.

01:50:48This gives Barry hope.

01:50:49He makes a last-ditch effort to reach the lake.

01:50:52He jumps in.

01:50:53Yeah!

01:50:54What a relief!

01:50:56Cold, fresh water envelops his whole body and relieves the itching and irritation from

01:51:00the bites.

01:51:02He waits in the water while the frogs dine on the mosquitoes.

01:51:06The remaining insects fly away.

01:51:08Barry crawls out of the lake.

01:51:10He sees frogs catching mosquitoes and realizes that these annoying insects are necessary

01:51:16for our planet.

01:51:18Frogs live thanks to these tiny monsters.

01:51:20And besides frogs, there are many other animals that feed on mosquitoes.

01:51:25Lizards, spiders, bats, birds, turtles… it's a huge list!

01:51:30Mosquitoes are an endless source of food for them.

01:51:33One pair can lay 200 eggs.

01:51:35They grow fast, and their lives are short.

01:51:38But if all these insects disappear, an ecological catastrophe may begin.

01:51:43Entire animal species may vanish from the face of the Earth.

01:51:48The frogs that save Barry wouldn't exist.

01:51:51Without frogs, the population of other insects, like flies, would begin to grow.

01:51:55They would reproduce uncontrollably.

01:51:58And then, like falling dominoes, other problems will follow.

01:52:02So, Barry, don't be angry at mosquitoes.

01:52:05It's just nature.

01:52:07You better deal with your itchy problem.

01:52:09His whole body is red, covered with little bumps.

01:52:12He starts scratching himself, but this doesn't help.

01:52:15He only makes it worse.

01:52:17As long as mosquito saliva remains in his body, and the immune system fights it, Barry

01:52:22will feel this itch.

01:52:24Fortunately, there are many oils and ointments to alleviate these effects.

01:52:28But the best way to get rid of the problem is to ignore it.

01:52:32Barry just needs to distract himself with something.

01:52:35Then the urge to scratch will disappear.

01:52:39Barry has survived so many mosquito bites without harmful consequences.

01:52:44But some people have problems dealing with just one.

01:52:47It depends on whether a person has allergies.

01:52:50Some have a small itchy bump, and others have severe inflammation.

01:52:54As for Barry, wasn't he swell?

01:52:57I mean, didn't he swell?

01:52:59Ok, I'll stop.

01:53:00The best way to protect yourself is to use insect spray.

01:53:04Now Barry sprays himself with this substance before every run and feels safe.

01:53:09But let's have a look at another situation.

01:53:12What if Barry gets attacked by huge dogs?

01:53:15Hey, just kidding.

01:53:16Relax, Barry.

01:53:17Ah, it's a lovely day for a boat ride in the swamp.

01:53:23If not for these mosquitoes, then today would be perfect.

01:53:27But for some reason, the mosquitoes keep getting bigger the further you go into the swamp.

01:53:33They started out as tiny, almost invisible insects, and can now be the size of your thumb.

01:53:38You can hear their buzzing as they whiz past you.

01:53:41You go deeper to investigate why they're so big.

01:53:44Eventually, you see a large cluster of mosquitoes the size of your hand buzzing around.

01:53:50They notice you and start flying toward you.

01:53:53You grab a branch and start swatting them away.

01:53:56You run back to your boat and try to escape, but they follow you, and some manage to land on you.

01:54:02You swat them away, but more mosquitoes pop out of nowhere the size of a basketball.

01:54:08You start your boat and speed your way back to the mainland.

01:54:11As you arrive, you see everyone running away in a frenzy, panicking because of the giant mosquitoes.

01:54:18Some of them are as big as a large dog.

01:54:21People are ducking under picnic tables, while some are running back to their cars and driving away.

01:54:26You get off the boat and run toward the closest grocery store along with dozens of people.

01:54:31The employees lock up the gates, but the large glass panels show the mosquitoes multiplying.

01:54:37They're getting bigger and bigger until you can see one as big as a car zipping by.

01:54:42It's so strong that it landed on an empty car and crushed it.

01:54:47Everyone inside is ducking away out of fear.

01:54:49You try to calm everyone down and not make any noise.

01:54:52The mosquitoes are landing on the glass panel, blocking out the natural light.

01:54:57It's getting dark inside.

01:54:59Everyone turns up the volume on the TV to the breaking news.

01:55:03Mosquitoes are flying rampant all across the continent, destroying natural resources and

01:55:08infiltrating cities.

01:55:10People are advised to stay indoors until further notice.

01:55:13The mosquitoes notice that there are people in the store, so they try to get in by force.

01:55:18A car-sized mosquito flies around in the sky, unaware of what's happening below.

01:55:24Everyone hears some noise coming from the back room.

01:55:27The employees realize they didn't lock the doors.

01:55:30A large mosquito enters and knocks down everything.

01:55:34Everyone runs around in a panic while throwing random stuff at it.

01:55:38Some people grab a fire extinguisher and spray it until it flies to the back room.

01:55:43Some employees lock the door and barricade it so that nothing can enter.

01:55:48Everyone waits nervously.

01:55:49The TV broadcasts some live coverage of how giant mosquitoes are flying everywhere.

01:55:54A helicopter is forced to land because the mosquitoes are flying around wildly in the

01:55:58skies.

01:56:00Everyone shudders when they hear the sound of more mosquitoes buzzing around near the

01:56:04back door.

01:56:06Hours pass, and more mosquitoes keep coming endlessly.

01:56:10There are no people outside, and much of the urban and landscape design in the park is

01:56:14destroyed or overrun by giant insects.

01:56:18Some people eat whatever is available, while some are sleeping.

01:56:22A piece of breaking news interrupts the live coverage and shows that there will be armored

01:56:26buses ready to pick up people near the picnic site.

01:56:29However, the buses won't drive to hot spots since it'll be too dangerous.

01:56:34The only way to get on them is by being on the highway in two hours.

01:56:39Everyone tries to call their loved ones, but the cell towers have been knocked down, and

01:56:43no one can call anyone.

01:56:44The mosquito that broke in a while ago destroyed the only landline that was present.

01:56:49People are arguing about whether they should stay or go.

01:56:53More insects cover the only clear patches of the sky until the sun disappears.

01:56:58The people split into two parties, those who are leaving to catch the bus and those who

01:57:03want to stay.

01:57:04The employees know a back way that can quickly lead to the highway.

01:57:08The only problem is that it'll take around 20 minutes on foot, and there are no cars

01:57:12to use.

01:57:13The way is tricky.

01:57:15First, they would need to escape through the main entrance and head through the bushy forest

01:57:19behind the dumpsters.

01:57:21Over there, they can enter a building, possibly through the sewers, which will lead to the

01:57:25lake next to the highway.

01:57:28The first party decides to leave.

01:57:30They prepare supplies for the breakout.

01:57:32Every second, more mosquitoes arrive, covering the sky.

01:57:36They gear up with anything they can find to protect themselves.

01:57:40Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide that people breathe out, and they know that

01:57:44there's a source coming from the grocery store.

01:57:47Once everyone is ready, they get some makeshift torches and light them up.

01:57:51They add some barbecue fuel to keep the fire going.

01:57:54You're part of the party that is planning to escape.

01:57:57The doors open, and everyone makes a break for it behind the dumpster.

01:58:01Many mosquitoes try to attack you, but the smoke from the fire repels them.

01:58:06Every second, more mosquitoes are filling the sky and the environment.

01:58:10Many people end up running back into the store, since they couldn't make it past the dumpster

01:58:14to the other building.

01:58:16Eventually, the rest of the people, including yourself, run toward the building.

01:58:20But it's locked, and no one can break down the door.

01:58:24Plan B is to break the glass from a window and crawl inside.

01:58:27You grab a rock and smash the closest window.

01:58:31The only problem is that the mosquitoes can follow you inside.

01:58:35So without any options left, you pull through and run to the basement of the building to

01:58:39find the entrance to the sewer.

01:58:41Success!

01:58:42You've found it, and everyone descends to the bottom.

01:58:45No mosquitoes in sight, just rats.

01:58:48You're walking knee-high in sewer water, with it flowing past you, but it's only a few minutes

01:58:53until you reach the river.

01:58:56Another problem is that the sewer isn't going to the lake, but somewhere deep into the sewer

01:59:00channels.

01:59:01You follow it until you see what looks like an outlet.

01:59:04You make it out, and are near a waterhole where all the discarded sewage leads next

01:59:09to the swamp.

01:59:10The only problem is that you're not next to the highway anymore, and time is running out.

01:59:16More mosquitoes are swarming the air, but they don't bother buzzing next to you.

01:59:20You notice some cat-sized creatures floating on the water.

01:59:24These are baby mosquitoes, or the larvae, and they're coming your way!

01:59:29You and everyone else swim for your lives to the shore.

01:59:32The giant alpha mosquito soars into the air and swoops down to try and grab someone, but

01:59:38it misses.

01:59:40Everyone makes it to the thick, swampy area where no giant mosquitoes can enter.

01:59:44Everyone covers themselves with branches to protect themselves.

01:59:47Fifteen minutes until the armored bus arrives.

01:59:50Since the mosquitoes can't enter, this will be the best place to hide until then.

01:59:54Darkness falls, and still, no bus!

01:59:58It's been three hours, and nothing!

02:00:00The mosquitoes are still buzzing around, and everyone is getting uncomfortable under the

02:00:04thick bushes.

02:00:05After a while, everyone hears a roaring engine and sees lights flashing on the highway!

02:00:11Everyone gets up and runs to the bus, but you stop them to not draw the mosquitoes'

02:00:16attention.

02:00:17You volunteer to sneak out and stop the bus, and then everyone else can follow without

02:00:21drawing too much attention.

02:00:23You move a couple of branches, step over some tree bark, and crawl to the highway.

02:00:28You try to hold your breath so that you won't make any heavy breathing sounds.

02:00:32You reach the side of the road and wave your arms to stop the bus.

02:00:36It pulls over, and the door opens.

02:00:38You signal the rest of the people to follow, and they follow your lead.

02:00:42Everyone is inside and safe.

02:00:45Some mosquitoes notice and start pecking on the bus, but the armor is sturdy.

02:00:49The bus drives off, looking for other people along the road, and suddenly, a Goliath lands

02:00:55in front of you!

02:00:56The bus stops and sees a mosquito the size of a Boeing 747!

02:01:01It looks straight at you.

02:01:03It gets ready to attack, but the bus speeds under its legs and drives off.

02:01:08The mosquito takes off and tries to catch the bus, but you enter a tunnel to the other

02:01:12side of the mountain.

02:01:14After a few minutes, you reach an open area with no trees or buildings.

02:01:18The bus is speeding while dodging obstacles along the way.

02:01:22Finally, you notice you are near the grocery store where you were held up.

02:01:26The bus opens the door for everyone inside to be taken to a safe zone.

02:01:30You hear from the aid workers that the whole world is being overrun by these giant creatures.

02:01:36As you drive along, you see a hybrid mosquito that has two heads and a scorpion's tail!

02:01:43It's as tall as a Statue of Liberty, and it's ready to attack!

02:01:46Whatever is causing these mosquitoes to grow abnormally is also making them into hybrids

02:01:51and mutants!

02:01:52And you thought it was going to be a good Monday!

02:01:56That's it for today!

02:01:57But – hey!

02:01:58If you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends!

02:02:02Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

Category

Transcript

Recommended