STUNG by a CICADA KILLER!

- I know right now you're shaking your head saying, "Coyote, wait a minute. Are you coming out of covert retreat?" (intense music) Ugh! I'm Coyote Peterson and I'm about to get

stung

by the

cicada

killer

. My God, that sting is long. Here we go. (reel film) (cat meows) (happy music) (lions roars) (ground rumbling) (dramatic music) During the winter of 2020, the national media erupted with a deafening hum that venomously instilled unwarranted fear in homes across the United States. That buzzing sound came from none other than the giant hornet. Hailed as one of the world's most painfully toxic stings, these nightmarish insects have a nasty reputation and were dubbed murder hornets by the press.

For those who are late to the party, yes, I have already been bitten. And yes, it hurts a lot. Absolutely searing pain! As for the invasion, no, we are not going to be invaded,

stung

and killed by giant hornets. But some may argue that the invasion has already happened. That's where I come in. It's time to set the record straight and, more importantly, it's time to remove a misidentified scapegoat from the list of suspects. (suspense music) Okay, let's get to work. You showed up to watch a grown man experience some pain, but first, you need to learn something about this amazing insect.

As my mom always said, "You can't have dessert until you finish the vegetables." Well, if that's not a scary little bug, I don't know what is. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the

cicada

killer

, one of the largest wasp species in the United States. This is second only to the tarantula hawk. Now, this wasp is not technically a spider wasp, like the tarantula hawk. In fact, it is a sand wasp. Now, like the hawk tarantula, they have a unique life cycle. This one you are seeing here is a woman. It is the females that grow larger than the males and the females are armed with a poisonous stinger.

And what the females will do is look for cicadas just under the treetops. They will zero in on their target, move around, and use that elongated abdomen to descend beneath their prey and then sting it. They paralyze the cicada in a similar way to how a hawk tarantula paralyzes a spider. Finally, the male cicada killers fertilize the egg she lays on top of the paralyzed cicada. The female will physically carry that cicada in her large jaws and hooked legs back to her underground burrow. These burrows can be up to 20 inches long and have multiple tunnels. At the end of each of these tunnels, the female will place the paralyzed cicada.

Once the egg hatches, it turns into a pupa and begins to feast on that paralyzed insect until it grows large enough to build a cocoon. And then, once she emerges from that cocoon in the next season, another cicada killer emerges from beneath the earth. If that's not a real war story, I don't know what is. This is a very large wasp and the easiest way to identify it is those large amber wings. When this creature is at rest, like now, the wings have a very triangular shape, very different from those of hornets or a spider wasp.

You'll see that when it folds its wings back, it appears a little more concave, similar to a giant hornet, which makes it very easy to misidentify this species with that strange invader. And when you look at the front of the insect, it has huge eyes. These wasps have incredible eyesight. They are mainly diurnal and you will see them very active on cloudy and overcast days. Again, they are using their senses to find the cicadas high up in the tree, target their prey, and then make a move. That thorax is quite large, very robust, but the most unique thing is the abdomen.

That black and yellow coloration tells you that this creature is poisonous. Aposematic means "Leave me alone. I'm not something you want to bite you." Now when it comes to the behavior of this wasp, to be honest, they are quite docile and very rarely interact with humans. In fact, the only time you have a chance of being bitten by this insect is if you climb into its burrow and climb underneath and try to escape. Maybe your bare foot would itch if it was blocking your escape route. Other than that, this is not a bug that will ever go out of its way to try and interact with humans.

Now, during the summer, you will often see groups of males fighting in the air. But other than that, they are considered solitary sand wasps. And no matter how you slice it guys, to be honest, this is a very intimidating insect, which makes it very clear why people are afraid of this wasp. Wow, watching it buzz around inside that capsule brings back a series of flashbacks: the warrior wasp, the tarantula hawk, the executioner wasp, and certainly the Japanese giant hornets. But there is a very good reason why this wasp is going to sting me today. No, technically I'm not coming out of covert retirement.

This will be unique because right now this insect has a very negative reputation and people mistakenly identify it with the giant hornet. They are panicking and their goal is to kill this species, but it is not something we should be afraid of. So by bringing this up to the cameras and taking a sting, I can show you that that's not really that powerful. Remember, it only ranks 2 on the insect bite pain index. Now that stinger is, of course, a modified ovipositor, used to lay eggs. And although it is full of venom, the venom of this species is not necessarily as potent.

However, I don't know how my body will react to the sting, so we certainly have an epinephrine pen on set in case my body has an allergic reaction. But if you're ready, I think it's time to transfer the cicada killer from the capsule to the network. Let's put on the forceps and make them sting me. This is the trickiest part, so I have to really stay focused and make sure I get a clean, secure grip, just... (intense music) Phew! So, we almost lost it. Man, that is a very, very, very powerful, very powerful wasp. Oh, friend. (soft music) Okay, let me try this again.

I mean, you have to think about it. This thing is capable of carrying a cicada that can weigh more than it. It is a very, very powerful wasp. (Coyote growls) I also have to be very delicate and very gentle. I don't want to damage the insect's wings in any way. It has all these little hairs that make it very slippery. That's where I'm struggling. I need to do it right. Just like that. (suspense music) Good girl. I got a good grip, I have to move on now. Are they in position? Phew! Okay, shaky hands. I'm Coyote Peterson and I'm about to get stung by the cicada killer.

My God, that sting is long. Here we go. One, two, oops, three. (intense music) Ah! Oh, he ran away. Uh-oh! Phew! I lost it. It's the first time I've lost one. I must be rusty. (Coyote moans) Bring me more than once too. Oh! Could you see that? Could you see the bite? - I think so. - Come and take it, right there. Phew! Long stinger. Oh yes, it's throbbing. Phew! Wow! Ugh, okay. It's really not that bad. It's really not that bad. He took me there and there. (Coyote gasping) Oh, yeah, okay. Well, here we go.

Second wave of pain, second wave of pain. Not even close to a velvet ant or a tarantula hawk. Nothing like bullet ants or some of those larger wasps. Wow, for such a long sting. Very intimidating, really not that painful. It sings well, oh yes, the skin is definitely tightening. (light music) At most, common paper wasp, not even on par with a bee. Not even on par with a bee, I can't believe it. My first failure in the capsule. Well, it's certainly back to nature at this point. Without a doubt, the strongest insect I have ever worked with in one of these bite scenarios.

Now here's my theory. Let a spider wasp like the hawk tarantula confront something similar to a tarantula. It is an aggressive predator with large fangs, so your sting and venom have to be incredibly powerful. I don't feel any sensation of paralysis in my arm. When it comes to a wasp like the cicada killer, when you're going to get this cicada without any stinging or biting parts, I can see why your sting doesn't need to be as powerful. Now it's been a couple of minutes, and if you come here and zoom in on my arm, Mario, you can see that something strange is happening on my forearm.

Look at that welt. I thought I'd only been bitten twice, but I see swelling here and it's now radiating down my forearm. Now I do feel burning after the fact, but nothing more than a common wasp sting. There is an initial jolt, like an electric shock, and I was anticipating paralysis from the tarantula hawk, but the pain went away (screeching) and then it just went away. Wow! What that leads me to conclude is that while this may be a very intimidating wasp, one that will be confused with the giant hornet, it is definitely not something we should be afraid of.

I would say the bite is no higher than a 2 on the insect bite pain index. And even a 10-year-old Coyote could probably have received a bite from this creature and gone into the swamps capturing turtles. Now, when it comes to seeing one of these wasps this summer, if you find it in your backyard, remember, this is not a creature that is out to get you. They don't want anything to do with humans. And unless you're a cicada, you have absolutely nothing to fear. I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild. See you on the next adventure. Phew!

That was a good one. (light music) The science of stings will always have a special place in my heart. And the painfully entertaining experiences we've caught on camera have put a spotlight on a menagerie of creepy creatures that have never been more celebrated. Giant hornets are not going to invade the United States. And hopefully, this close-up look at the cicada killer, despite its menacing design and impressive size, has helped alleviate some of his worries. At worst, if you get stung, it's not as bad as its appearance would lead you to believe. Remember, they kill cicadas, not humans.

And if there's one thing I hope you take away, it's that these wasps are remarkably docile unless played with. Leave them alone and let them live. That's all. One last sting. I'm heading back into retirement, where I plan to enjoy a long, relaxing career creating more animal adventure content. Although some pretty extreme things may come up. I didn't say anything about backing off from the stings. (dramatic music) (Coyote screaming) Ah! Ah! (Coyote gasping) Hi Coyote Pack, if you love our bite and sting content and want to learn more, be sure to check out our best-selling book, "The Sting King" and be one of the first to read my newest memoir . , "The Biting Beast." To get your copies, click the link in the video description below.

And don't forget, join the memberships so you can take on me and the crew on our next wild adventure. (wolf howling) (birds chirping)