Wasp

Ranking The Kingdom

Flying high and taking chances, this week we're back to insects with a biting review of the Wasp. Or should I say stinging?

Ranking the Kingdom is all parasite this time around. Well, mostly parasite. In this week's episode you'll discover the differences between social and solitary wasps, I'll introduce you to a man who gets himself stung and bitten on purpose in the name of science, and we do a deep dive into one wasp in particular, the Tarantula Hawk. The Wasp family is numerous, intimidating, and an apex of insect evolution, all of the traits you could ask for here on Ranking The Kingdom, but will that be enough for them to take the mantle of "Highest Review Score"? Can an insect possibly beat the Crocodile and Killer Whale at their own game, dethroning both and taking their crowns as Ranking the Kingdom champions?

You may be surprised.

If you are new to the show and don't quite get how this whole "ranking animals" thing works, please head over to the show's website for a quick explanation of the rating system, or download Your Review and You, a quick 10 minute episode of the podcast that covers everything you need to know! Also rate and subscribe to Ranking the Kingdom on iTunes, and don't hesitate to follow the show on Facebook and Twitter (@rankthekingdom) for updates and links to interesting animal facts on occasion!

The Ranking the Kingdom subreddit is a great place to reach out to me or the community as well, or you can even send me an email at [e-mail]. For those of you with podcast apps that do not display pictures, you can go here to view each episode's set: rankingthekingdom.libsyn.com.

Also, check out my new podcast called Robots Boning Ninjas! It's nowhere near as gross or off-putting as you might think, I promise!

Note: Due to a mislabeling on my part I say in the review that this is my 20th animal review. It's actually my 18th. Not a big deal, but it seems worth mentioning.

Episode Guide:

(0:00 - 5:04) Intro: Guesting, Robots "B" Ninjas, Reviews.

(5:19 - 11:07) Unsorted Facts: Non-Polar, Big and Small, 100,000 Species.

(11:17 - 26:20) Instinct/ Evolution: Parasites, Smells, Drummin'.

(26:30 - 38:05) Offense/ Defense: Asian Hornets, Velvet Ants, Tarantula Hawks.

(38:15 - 45:54) Society/ Resourcefulness: Social, Solitary, More Tarantula Hawks.

(46:04 - 55:00) Legacy/ Future: Darwin, Agriculture, Fudging the Numbers.

(55:10 - 1:07:42) The Ranking: Where the wasp is crowned Queen Bee.

Photos:

(A Wasp)

https://www.killline.co.uk/pests/wasps/

(Velvet Wasp Stinger)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF-oSVCCqzU

(Terrifying Tarantula Hawk)

https://www.wired.com/2015/07/absurd-creature-of-the-week-tarantula-hawk/

(A Discolored Leaf, There May Be a Moth Inside)

https://askentomologists.com/2015/06/01/how-do-wasps-find-other-bugs-to-parasitize/

(Potter Wasp’s Home)

http://earl-brown.info/brightpcolorsof-potter-wasp.htm

(A Hoverfly, Not a Wasp)

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artmay07/cd-hoverflies.html

Sources:

Thank you to Silent Partner for the intro/ transition/ outro music, “Cloud Patterns”

And thank you to the following sources for all of the free information:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/wasp/ (General Wasp Miscellania)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp (General Wasp Miscellania)

https://www.wired.com/2015/07/absurd-creature-of-the-week-tarantula-hawk/ (Tarantula Hawk Are Scary)

http://www.butterfly-fun-facts.com/butterfly-enemies/parasitoids/chalcid-wasps/ (Butterfly NOT Fun Facts About Chalcid Wasps)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-24367050 (Asian Hornet Attacks)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet (Asian Giant Hornet Miscellania)

http://www.popsci.com/watch-cow-killer-velvet-ant-sting-guy-for-science (Velvet Ant Sting, Coyote Peterson)

https://www.terminix.com/blog/science-nature/the-insect-sting-pain-scale (Insect Pain Index)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnExgQ81fhU (Tarantuala Hawk Stings Coyote Peterson)

http://www.pnas.org/content/92/10/4169.short (Plants Emit Scents to Attract Parasites)

http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/wasps_sniff_out_bombs_drugs_corpses/ (Drug Sniffing Wasps)

https://askentomologists.com/2015/06/01/how-do-wasps-find-other-bugs-to-parasitize/ (Wasp Senses)

http://news.wisc.edu/rhythmic-vibrations-guide-caste-development-in-social-wasps/ (Paper Wasps Deterministic Drumming)

https://www.quora.com/How-many-consecutive-bee-stings-does-it-take-to-kill-a-person-without-a-bee-sting-allergy (Number of Stings to Kill)

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/worlds-largest-wasp-nest-found-tasmania/ (Largest Wasp Nest Ever Found, Up to 100,000 Wasps)

http://modernfarmer.com/2015/09/parasitic-wasps-pesticide/ (Wasps as Pesticide)

Thank you as well to the following musicians for providing their tracks royalty free on Youtube, all music listed in order of appearance:

Candlepower by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

CGI Snake by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

What True Self, Feels Bogus, Let's Watch Jason X by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/reappear/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

I Am Running with Temporary Success from a Monstrous Vacuum by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/honor/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Chance, Luck, Errors in Nature, Fate, Destruction As a Finale by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/reappear/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Air Hockey Saloon by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/