#the paralyzing venom and stinger is so cool

[samuraisharkie]

in a nutshell the other mutations included making him stronger faster more durable and have better healing, as well as improve his senses (including his spider sense) as well as allow him to feel vibrations on both his skin and his webs and use any part of body to be sticky compared to just his hands and feet and make organic webs and release stingers from his wrists when under stress that release paralyzing venom and also have night vision and i think maybe some other stuff i forgot

WHAT THE FUCK THATS AWESOME??? that’s the best way to do extra mutations also I think I do remember when Peter got extra sticky powers bc he used it to keep his mask on his face so he couldn’t be forcibly demasked

[teecupangel]

So I had the thought of Desmond becoming a MLP: fim changeling queen. Why a changeling? You may ask, because they are very cool.

If you don't know changelings are these horse-like bugs that can shape shift into pretty much anything even inanimate objects (or many that one is an illusion). They use this ability to collect love from other creatures since that's their main source of energy, seems like they need to eat normal stuff but in smaller quantities.

But for the sake of this Au let's say they can feed on the other emotions as well but the closer to love the emotion (example: happiness) the more energy they get. With love giving out the most energy.

So Desmond wakes up at Solomon's temple and sees he is some kind horse-bug and cause he is a queen changeling he is really big. Like draft horse big, even bigger than the Clydesdale. But still thin and spindly cause you know, bug. He wouldn't be like Chrysalis starved hive but also he wouldn't be rainbow colored like Thorax's. I see Desmond being desert colored for camouflage (dark red, brown, pale, black, sand) while having some white and red mixed in for the colours of the brotherhood.

Desmond curses his luck and wanders around trying to get used to his new body until Altaïr and company come for the apple. He discovers that he is completely armored and his carapace is really resistant and though, he is really strong capable of shatter stone with a kick, he is very flexible and can climb on surfaces like Spiderman, he can lift things with telekinesis through his horn (solves the issue of no hands), has this big bug mandibles that can come from his snout, his fleshy tail is very flexible and has a pair of stingers with a paralyzing venom, he has wings under his carapace like a beetle open it and fly, and he is pretty much an omnivore but absolutely loves flower nectar, honey, bee wax, and other insects.

One night while sneaking in a city he complains about not being at least a normal horse to not catch so much attention and then fiuussh he transforms into one of the smaller horses he saw in the stables he passed, smaller size and everything. He practices his new shape shifting ability and even figures out how to change color and become invisible. For now he can only shape shift into other quadrupeds, horses, dogs and even something as small as a cat. And that's how he discovers his new emotion based diet. Now that he can spend more time in the cities he doesn't feel as hungry and when some kids tried to pet him and play with him while disguised as a dog he felt an energy boost from feeding off the affection they were giving him.

So to kick off plot once the general date of the expedition to the temple comes Desmond comes back to the temple and waits. He turns invisible and when the fight for the apple comes he drops the invisibility and everyone sees his him in his big insect glory, they think Desmond is some Demon/guardian of the apple.

He manages to run off the templars, save Malik and Kadar and with his telekinesis gives Altaïr the apple.

From here I must clarify that Desmond can speak human languages perfectly he just chooses not to at the moment. And mainly uses this bug language of clicking, chittering, buzzing, crooning and hissing.

From here Desmond either goes back to being invisible and sneaks to Masyaf or just follows outright along with them outside the cave and transforms into a normal horse in front of them to travel back to Masyaf. With the second it allows for more interactions, Al Muslim gets to see Desmond at the beginning and they think the guardian of the apple is following them around and chose their faction as worthy of the treasure.

Al Muslim tries to order him around but Desmond just gives him the stink eye and follows Altaïr around. Using his shape shifting ability to help sneak around and get information, eventually learning how to transform into non-quadrupeds, humans and even inanimate objects. Every once in a while Desmond speaks like a human in public but everyone thinks he is just a very clever parrot except Altaïr who spends the more time with Desmond whose Desmond speaks more and more to everyday.

After Al Mualim is defeated Desmond makes Masyaf the place to put his hive without knowing, at this point everyone knows Desmond can speak and it's fully sapient.

When things calm down Desmond gets the surprise of his life when he lays his first clutch of eggs, he is not a Changeling Queen for nothing. And when the eggs hatch among the grubs is Clay (once Altaïr dies he will be reborn like this too).

The other changelings (changeling workers/soldiers) are also sapient and can do everything Desmond can but Clay becomes a sub-queen of sorts. Clay is a changeling whose function is to be the main Queen (Desmond) right hand, therefore Sub-Queen (princess). While the workers are regular horse sized Clay as Sub-Queen is somewhere in the middle is bigger than the workers but smaller than Desmond. Also Clay doesn't lay eggs (to Desmond's complains).

So now the brotherhood is composed of humans and changelings, who can infiltrate pretty much everywhere, their venom is widely used by the assassins and they make the templars incredibly paranoid of everything even their own pot plants.

If anyone in the brotherhood dares to even look at any of Desmond's hundred children wrong both Altaïr and Desmond will make their lives miserable.

(Now I see Altaïr with a handful of grubs who crawl all over him)

Masyaf becomes the main changeling hive and Clay goes on to make a second one in the nearest assassin headquarters (then he begins to lay eggs).

When Altaïr dies he is reborn as a grub that becomes another Sub-Queen. A lot of brotherhoods around now have a changeling hive with a Sub-Queen and all respond to Desmond (the main Queen).

Changelings feed on surrounding emotions and when they go infiltrate but they mostly feed on the affection of each other's and their fellow brotherhood members.

So when it's Ezio's turn he is just surrounded

By this three giant bug-horses and their million children/niblings.

There was a man who visits their home often. He would always be accompanied by a strange bunch. People in hoods and animals of various sizes…

All of them would call him ‘mother’.

Ezio swears the people with hoods and the animals would change at times, even when they had already entered their home.

It was strange.

Sometimes they would visit with one brown dog but leave with no dogs at all but the number of people would rise.

Other times, he would visit with butterflies on his hair and leave with no butterflies at all but cats walking behind him.

He never stays long, talking to Ezio’s father the longest then taking the time to talk to everyone else for a bit.

Ezio liked it when he visited.

He always gave them new toys they had never seen before. Sometimes, he would bring books that sounded interesting and would be read and borrowed between the siblings.

As Ezio grew older, the more he understood who the man he only knew as ‘Desmond’ was.

He was royalty.

The mother queen.

Ezio still didn’t know what that was supposed to mean and why he was called 'mother queen' instead of 'father king'. All he knew was that Desmond was the ruling matriarch of a kingdom they do not know about.

And House Auditore was part of that kingdom.

Ezio always thought they were nobles of Firenze.

But no.

They were spies.

He still remembered the conversation he had unintentionally eavesdropped on while Desmond was visiting them.

“I’ve warned you about being too close to Lorenzo de’ Medici, Giovanni.”

“I am loyal to the Brotherhood.”

“I do not doubt your loyalty. Just as I know that Clay is loyal to me, I also know Clay will do what he believes is right. The same can be said to you.”

“I am honored to be compared to the princess-”

“Clay would tell you that it’s meant to be an insult. But it’s not. I’m just telling you this to make you understand that just because you are loyal to the Brotherhood, it does not mean you are not compromised.”

“I can assure you-”

“If I order you to return to Monteriggioni with your family and to not return to Monteriggioni even if Lorenzo de’ Medici begged you to, would you do it?”

“Ezio Auditore.”

Ezio stepped back from the door and turned to face the unfamiliar voice who called out to him.

He looked a lot like Desmond but with golden eyes.

“I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine.” The golden-eyed man said, “You will hear what Desmond has ordered your father to do later anyway. Walk with me.”

“Uuuhh…” Ezio didn’t really have any reason to say no so he began to follow the strange man.

As they exited the hallway and made their way to the main room, a cat meowed and nuzzled the man’s legs before following after him, glancing at Ezio curiously only once.

By the time they reached the inner courtyard, five cats were following the man.

“Uuhhh…”

“Altaïr.”

It took a moment before Ezio realized that the man had introduced himself. He was unsure if he could just call ‘Altaïr’ or if he was a noble of higher standing than them so he just asked, “These cats…”

“My children.” Altaïr answered.

Oh.

He was one of those people.

“Sef.” Altaïr called out and a white cat with black fur on his legs and paws meowed as he sat in front of Altaïr, “Stay with Desmond and tell him that I’ll be training Ezio Auditore until he’s done with Giovanni Auditore.”

Ezio opened his mouth to speak but the cat’s meow was loud enough to stop him. Ezio watched the cat quietly make his way back inside before he turned to face Altaïr as he asked, “Training?”

A hooded man that Ezio swore was not there before handed Altaïr two blunt swords used for training and Altaïr threw the other sword to Ezio who caught it easily.

“Uh- merda!” Ezio shouted as Altaïr suddenly charged him, easily disarming him with enough force to stagger him off his feet.

“Get up faster. You’d be dead if I had followed up on my first attack. Again.” Altaïr ordered as he took a few steps back.

Ezio growled and stood. As soon as he grabbed the sword, Altaïr charged once more. Ezio managed to keep hold of his sword but fell on his ass when Altaïr smacked his cheek with the back of his hand.

“You’re too focused on my sword. If I had a hidden weapon on my left hand, you’d be dead. Again.”

Ezio growled once more.

This bastardo was asking for it.

.

.

Training only ended when a hooded man who looked too much like Desmond and Altaïr that Ezio had to take a doubletake, giving Altaïr an opening to hit him on the side with the pommel of his sword, announced that lunch was ready and Desmond would like Altaïr to eat with him and the rest of the Auditore.

As Ezio wheezed as he held his poor bruised side, Altaïr handed the sword to the hooded man who could have been mistaken as Altaïr and Desmond’s son as he said, “Very well. Check the perimeter before scheduling everyone’s meal time, Sef.”

“Darim is already on it, father.”

Wait.

Sef?

Did Altaïr named a cat after his son???

[rebeccathenaturalist]

I forgot to show you all this cool wasp I found when I was hiking in old growth forest in Missouri last month! She's an Atanycolus species, probably A. cappaerti, and she's a native stingless wasp found primarily in the eastern half of the United States. You can tell she's stingless because she has a long, skinny ovipositor at the end of her abdomen instead of a shorter, sharper stinger.

In fact, stingers are just modified ovipositors found in some members of the order Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants, sawflies). Originally the structure evolved so that the female could inject her egg into a safe place, whether that was a leaf or stem of a plant, or a hapless insect or spider host. But some species changed it through evolution so that it not only could more easily penetrate the skin or exoskeleton of an attacker, but inject venom as well. This not only allows some parasitic wasps to more effectively subdue and paralyze their hosts, but defend themselves and their nests as well.

A. cappaerti has a variety of insect hosts, but I was delighted to hear that this species will readily parasitize larvae of the invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis). And even better news--there are other native wasps that also use the ash borer as a host! All of which means these native wasps could be used for intentional biocontrol of the invasive insects without having to bring in non-native parasitic wasps.

[red-black-aesthetic-bout]

Round 2: Match 21

Deathgripper (How to Train your Dragon) vs. Silver (Pokemon franchise)

Deathgripper

- Inspired by scorpions, black widow spiders and hunting dogs, the Deathgrippers are particularly deadly and sadistic dragons who hunt other dragons in packs. They have retractable tusks and scorpion-like tails. Instead of fire, they create blasts of highly corrosive and flammable green acid. The first strike from the Deathgripper's stinger paralyzes the victim, making it calm and obedient. The second strike puts an end to its suffering and the third turns the prey's body poisonous to the touch. However, the venom doesn't numb the pain, so the victims will have an agonizing end. The Deathgrippers also have massive amount of eggs, because the babies will attempt to eat each other. Training them is very difficult, but not impossible.

Silver

- HE IS SO COOL AND TRUE AND REAL AND MY COMFORT CHARACTER. HE IS NOT THE SAME AS GAME CANON AND I LOVE HIM SO VERY MUCH HE CARE FOR HIM FRIENDS SO MUCH THAT HE YEETED HIMSELF DIRECTLY IN THE WAY OF MULTIPLE LEGENDARY POKEMON NUMEROUS TIMES TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE GOT OUT OKAY. INSTEAD OF JUST HABING THE DAD ISSUES THAT THE NORMAL RIVAL HAS HE WAS ACTUALLY KIDNAPPED AS A CHILD. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIM AND GIOVANNI IS VERY NUANCED IN MANGA CANON. KEYBOARD STUCK VERY SORRY FOR CAPS

mod notes: I have to say I am rooting for the little fella

[evolutionsvoid]

Every town has its gang of troublemakers and every road has a group of bandits just waiting for the rich and foolish. Some are just simple rabble, while others are feared by all who walk the streets and roam the fields. In this town, everyone knows who these foul folk are. When word comes around that they are in the area, it is best to get off the streets and lock the doors. No one, save the Sheriff and Deputy, dare cross paths with Hawk and her gang. If you didn't know her by her nasty reputation, you will know her when you see that blue carapace and infamous stinger! Wanted in nearly every town on this side of the country, Hawk is Number One when it comes to stealing, cheating and leaving a trail of paralyzed folk in her wake. If her stinger doesn't get ya, her bullets sure will! While she is a skilled thief and master gunslinger, she doesn't spread all this destruction alone. When it comes to safes that need blasting or mines that need collapsing, she calls out Gamble. Built like a wall and stubborn as one too, he doesn't take no for an answer and will blow up anything or anyone that says otherwise. If one can survive his rain of dynamite and other shoddy explosives, they best be ready for some bare-knuckle boxing. Some say his pugilist ways was what earned him his nickname, as he was always ready to bet on a fist-fight. Others say it comes from the sketchy homemade explosives he makes, as it is a gamble every time he lights one up. If it isn't a bank wall that needs blowing, but instead a group of armed guards, Hawk needs only to let loose Slim. Tall as a lamppost and sharp as a blade, Slim is not the fellow you want to mess with in close quarters. Armed with machetes and any sharp edge he can find, he carves through any foe that dares stand between him and his money. If lacerations and dismemberment weren't bad enough, Slim enjoys adding something special to all his blades. The vials on his belts are loaded with his digestive enzymes, which gives his knives a nasty burn. A few of them even contain Hawk's paralytic venom, for those times when a throwing knife needs to put someone down for a good long time. Together, they have robbed ranches, blasted banks and cleaned casinos. To many, it seems like nothing will stop Hawk and her gang from ruling every corner of this dusty land. However, a certain Sheriff and Deputy are not so quick to let her call the shots. The law must hold true, and justice must be served. These enforcers seek to put an end to this terrible trio, no matter if it involves a jail cell or a graveyard...     ------------------------------------------------------- Was having so much fun with the old west arachnids, that I felt that their little world needed some bandits for the sheriff and deputy to deal with. So in a world of spiders, scorpions and what not, who would fit as the crooked and devious? Well, I found my answer while reading through @bogleech ‘s Arachnophobe-Safe Guide to Spiders! Though I am not scared of spiders at all, this series was a wealth of knowledge on spiders and some of their weirder species. One page talked about spider eaters, and that was where I got my cast for this devious gang! So here we have a Tarantula Hawk, a Small-Headed Fly and a Giraffe-Necked Assassin Bug, all ready to rob some wagons and bring some havoc! And if you ever want to learn some cool stuff about spiders, be sure to check out that guide! It's awesome!   Here: www.bogleech.com/spiders/spide…

[nanonaturalist]

When I were a lad I had the unfortunate luck to sit on on a yellow jacket nest, step on another a week later and then a hornet nest a week later. I developed a phobia and now my heart races even if a fly buzzes past my ear. I have done some emersion therapy by walking in a lavender field while honey bees were working.. but I still fear bee-ish creatures. I love them and I plant them flowers, but I want to be less afraid. What can I do?

Hello, @keepcalmandcarrieunderwood, I’ve been thinking about your question a lot, and this is a really hard one to answer. The obvious first step in getting over a fear of anything is wanting to get over that fear. When you have so many traumatic experiences so close together, especially when you’re young, it will take a lot of work to train your mind to be more comfortable around black and yellow striped things. So first off, congratulations on wanting to be more comfortable about our stripey friends! The good news is, you can do it!

Warning: wall of text precedes bug photos! Also this got Looooooong sorry (not sorry)

Fun fact about me: I have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (from way back in 2005). And one of my favorite things about studying psychology was learning about classical and operant conditioning. You are probably already familiar with both of these. 

In classical conditioning, two stimuli are paired (they may or may not be at all related), and your reflexive, unconscious response to one gets associated to the other. This phenomenon was popularized with Pavlov and his digestive experiments with dogs (dogs salivate when a bell rings in the absence of food, because the bell has been paired with food many times previously). In your case, the two stimuli are actually very closely related (seeing/hearing things that might be stinging insects, and being stung by stinging insects). Because many organisms rely on learning quickly about danger for survival, it can only take one such pairing to develop a very long-lasting response to something. 

In operant conditioning, behaviors are punished or rewarded, which can result in an individual’s behavior changing given the right circumstances. The behavior change is not necessarily conscious. A lot of interesting stuff in our brains happens outside of view from us. Say you look into a cactus flower once and you see a really cool beetle. Neat! You’re going to start looking into cactus flowers a lot more often. And if you keep seeing neat beetles, oh boy those cactus flowers better look out. Even if those flowers start turning up empty, you’ll still keep peeking in them for a while, even if you are in a situation where it’s really not appropriate to keep peeking into cactus flowers (apologies to people on my last guided hike…). I’ll get back to operant conditioning in a minute.

You may have heard about a common treatment for anxiety disorders called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I’m a big fan of this method, because it asks you to re-evaluate your thoughts, as you are having them, to restructure your gut reaction to a situation into a less emotionally-charged one. In other words, you have a fear resulting from classical conditioning–it’s totally reflexive and unconscious, and you had no control over the creation of your phobia. The problem is, phobias can become self-sustaining with the help of operant conditioning. Basically: Bee > PANIC! > flee > relief! The act of removing yourself from bee-like insects will give you relief from the fear, and makes you more likely to avoid bee-like insects in the future. But, you don’t want to be afraid anymore!

The trick is: turn your reflexive, unconscious responses into thoughts. This can be really hard–I have a lot of generalized anxiety issues, and I don’t always know what (if any) actual thoughts are making me uneasy. But I think it is easier to translate reflexes into thoughts for phobias, even if they aren’t always logical. 

In the case of a fear of stings from bees/wasps, there are several angles you can take:

Learn more about stinging insects and their behaviors, and understand why they sting. Take fear and reshape it into curiosity, use what you learn to avoid getting stung. 

Not all that buzzes is a bee. Similarly for yellow/black striped insects. There are lots of mimics out there, who look like a dangerous stinging insect to protect themselves, when they are totally harmless. Learn how to tell them apart, so know which ones couldn’t hurt you even if they wanted to.

Not all bees/wasps can sting! Males cannot sting, and some species are completely stingless.

Desensitization through Education

First off, you need to know a little about stingers. What are they, exactly? Well, they weren’t originally stingers. Before there were stingers, there were ovipositors.

Ovipositors in katydids. Left two: common conehead katydids; Right: lesser meadow katydid

Ovipositors are tubes that some insects use to lay their eggs inside something. Insects who lay their eggs in the ground (but who aren’t burrowing insects, like katydids) will use the ovipositor to make sure the eggs are safely tucked away from predators. Some insects go a step further, and lay their eggs inside another organism (these are called parasites or parasitoids depending on whether or not they kill the host). These insects will lay their eggs either in plant tissues (gall wasps and midges do this, and I wrote a post about galls a little while back [link]), or in animal tissues. 

Various parasitic wasps, Superfamily Ichneumonoidea. I have no idea who these are at the moment. iNat links: [Photo 1 Link] [Photo 2 Link] [Photo 3 Link]

These parasitoid insects tend to be wasps, and they tend to have some pretty fancy ovipositors. The larger ones tend to parasitize caterpillars, and before you gasp and lament the plight of the poor helpless babies, remember that every living creature in nature serves a very important purpose. Caterpillars can absolutely destroy a vegetable garden. These wasps make sure there’s still something left for us. 

These wasps do not sting. The painful sting is a result of venom, and these wasps with long ovipositors do not have a venom gland. 

But, as insects are wont to do, if there is a niche, they will fill it. The inside of the caterpillar is claimed? Well, you can just lay your egg on the caterpillar instead. This is a lot harder to do. With a long ovipositor, you can just hold on, stick it in, and go. But if you need to lovingly affix your eggs to the outside of a wiggling caterpillar, you’re gonna have a hard time. If only there was a way to temporarily paralyze it!

Meet Netelia. This is a genus of Ichneumon wasp. Notice her ovipositor? Kinda short, huh? That’s because it’s a stinger [link]. She stings the caterpillar, which is paralyzed long enough for her to beadazzle it with eggs, and off she goes. I don’t know much about the evolutionary history of ovipositors and stingers, but somehow, some species started living in large colonies full of sterile female workers and a stingless queen who laid all the eggs (think ants and bees). If you didn’t reproduce, you could make some pretty scary and painful stingers to protect your colony! Also: this means that only females can sting. 

And this brings us to the issue: some of them DO sting humans and it is not pleasant!

Bees and wasps are similar in that the notorious species tend to live in large colonies, but they sting for very different reasons. Bees are defensive (their stingers are embedded into flesh and detach from their bodies–a nice way of saying they rip their guts out and die), while wasps are offensive (they can sting many, many times, and will do it when they feel threatened even if they are not under attack).

Left: Western Honey Bee; Right: Apache Wasp

Why are they so different? Bees are vegetarians, so they have no need to kill for food. Their stingers are the last line of defense for their colonies, because every bee who stings will die. A colony can’t survive if all the workers die, but it also needs to protect the young and the queen. But these bees tend to make fairly elaborate hives which serve as a good line of defense in addition to the army of stinging workers. Bees will sting if you are actively harming them or the hive, even if you don’t realize it. Remember those ridiculous wide leg raver pants (hey, I said I graduated from college in 2005, stop looking at me like that)? I knew a guy who wore those all the time, and one day his pant leg managed to fall over a single lady bee, and she… uh… Well, she felt threatened. Let’s just say I laughed. Yes, as it happened. I regret nothing. Bees do not want to sting you.

Wasps are also vegetarians (wait, WHAT??)–at least, they are in adulthood. Wasp larvae? Carnivores. Those evil wasps killing other bugs and carrying them off are taking them to their nest. They will lay an egg alongside their prey, which is paralyzed to keep it alive until the egg hatches (terrifying, huh?). What a good mother! Some wasp species are solitary, and their nests can be safe underground. But paper wasps, which you are likely more familiar with, have their babies literally hanging out in the open. Their delicious, nutritious babies. They are so vulnerable! They must be protected! 

Paper wasps. Left: Apache wasp nest; Right: Common paper wasp nest

The only thing between a hungry predator and the life of those babies are the valiant wasps sworn to protect the nest. If they sense something which triggers the “hungry predator” switch in their brain, they will attack. Is their nest pretty low to the ground? Are you TOO CLOSE? Look out! Is their nest HIDDEN IN YOUR BALCONY WALL and you bump the side while enjoying a beautiful spring day? Are you throwing rocks at the nest? Do you smell like a bear? I don’t know what triggers wasps, but the only time I’ve been stung was when they secretly lived in my balcony wall. Thing with wasps is, when they’ve had enough, they will come after you. They can sting you to teach you to STAY AWAY and fly back to their nest. 

But, if you don’t set off “hungry predator” alarms, and instead exist in their world as “irrelevant scavenger,” you can actually get pretty close to them. I was lucky to find this Common Paper Wasp lady making her nest on the underside of a pokeweed leaf in my backyard two years ago. I took these photos with my phone. I was inches away from her. Sometimes I had a headlamp shining in her face. She never once came after me. I started to recognize her foraging around my yard for paper fiber (ever see a wasp hanging out on your wooden fence, or landing on grass or dried dead plants? they are collecting building materials!), so I could get a really close look at her nest and the eggs inside. Look in the cells in the nest in the top left and bottom right photos. Those little white things are her eggs!

So there’s a bit of a Catch-22 here. If you’re not afraid of wasps, come up to them curiously, SHOVE A CELL PHONE IN THEIR FACE WHILE BLINDING THEM WITH A HEADLAMP, eh, they don’t care. But if you are afraid of getting stung… what are you going to do? Calmly walk away? NO! You’re going to swat at it, flail around, run, scream, etc. All things a predator would do. Same thing with bees. Sometimes, they will land on you for whatever reason. Maybe you’re wearing a fluorescent yellow shirt and you look delicious.

All this baby wanted was some nectar, and from her perspective, I was *clearly* advertising that I had bountiful nectar reserves. If I was not aware that they see UV light, and that this is how they find flowers so quickly, and if I instead thought that bees hate the color yellow and will sting you if you’re wearing it (this is what I was taught growing up… *sigh*), I would have thought I was getting attacked, and would have started with the flailing. This lady, who thought she was coming for lunch, instead now has to start fighting? She’s gonna be mad.

There is a lot to know about bees and wasps. I do not know that much about them, but I think they are very interesting and I love learning more about them.

Mimics Can’t Fool You!

Wow that first section was long. How about some pictures of things that aren’t bees or wasps?

Hover flies! Top: Left - Eupeodes sp.; Right - Copestylum sp. Bottom: Left - Palpada agrorum; Right - Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly

Longhorn beetles! Top: Neoclytus mucronatus (both photos) Bottom: Left - Zebra Longhorn Beetle; Right - Painted Hickory Borer

Robber flies! Left: MacQuart’s Bee-mimic Robber Fly; Right: Beelzebub Bee-Killer

Moths! Left: Sphinx moths; Right: Clear-wing mothsI know, I’m cheating a little here. These are specimens in the Texas A&M University Entomology Collections. They have an open house every January and it’s AMAZING! 

Bee flies! (really!) Left: Poecilanthrax sp.; Middle: Exoprosopa fascipennis; Right: Villa sp.

Some clear take-aways here: (1) Flies are very into bees(2) Looking like a bee/wasp is a very successful survival strategy!(3) If it looks like a bee… it’s probably a fly (unless it’s actually a bee)

Stingless Fakers

There are two major groups of bees that don’t sting–Tribe Meliponini (Stingless Bees) and Family Andrenidae (Mining Bees).

Admittedly, I have not seen many of these. The two Meliponini species I saw were in Malawi (Africa), and those are the two photos on the left. Far left is a group going to their hive (they can make honey, too!), and center is a different species in their nest (a wax tube on the side of my cottage). These bees are so tiny you’d think they were fruit flies! Right photo is from West Texas, Mining Bees in the Macrotera genus (I love them! Little Valentine butts!)

BUT! There is another fairly common group of stingless bees: MALES. No male insect can sting (they can bite if equipped, but remember, stingers are modified ovipositors!). You may never see a male honey bee, but here’s what they look like: 

Not the best photo, but you can see he’s shaped… kinda weird? His eyes are HUGE, which is probably the easiest way to tell him apart from the females.

You are more likely to meet a male Carpenter bee, however. How will you know a male carpenter bee?

Male Eastern Carpenter Bee above. I read the males have a white patch on their face (look! his nose!), and there were some other features, but really, WHITE! NOSE!

Another Carpenter Bee I see at home (and NOTICE because … well you’ll see in a minute):

Xylocopa tabaniformis Carpenter Bee. Many apologies for the TERRIBLE PHOTOS. These were from my phone before I had a Real Camera and they only *just came back* this year and I am way behind on photos sorrryyyyyyyy

Anyway, I don’t know how to tell the females/males apart visually (or if you even can). And this photo may very well be of a female, who knows. But the way you know the males: They will get in your business. That’s why I call this section “Stingless Fakers.” It’s because of these. I love them. This pink bush is right outside my front door. I walk around it to get to my car in the morning. And in the summers, there are always a few of these buzzing around. And the males are interested in protecting their (small underground) colonies, so they will COME UP TO YOU to see if you’re a threat. Or maybe to intimidate you because THEY ARE A BEE THEY COULD STING LOOK OUT! 

Carpenter bees are distinguished from bumble bees by not being as furry. Carpenter bees will have shiny abdomens. Bumble Bees should be bumbly furry.

ANYWAY IN CONCLUSION Bees/Wasps are interesting, not everything is a bee/wasp even if it looks like one, and they don’t all sting. I wish you the best of luck in facing your fears and buzzing back at bees and hornets in triumph.

Posted (finally–sorry!) May 31, 2018As always, all photos are mine and most were taken in Texas. Exceptions are Netelia and Meliponini from Malawi.

[munchix-home-cooking]

RP Log: Munchix and Rayena begin a long journey through Coerthas, starting from Gridania and ending at the Dravanian Hinterlands! In this, they simply get ready and hike through the North Shroud.

(Munchix Bogbelly) True to his word, though late by several moons, Munchix had sent Rayena a letter. ‘Meet me in Gridania, if you want to join my journey of culinary discovery through Coerthas!’ And such a day had come. Munchix, a large backpack resting by his side, leaned on the fence posting while he waited for any familiar faces by the aetheryte.

(Rayena Corsano) Rayena did indeed get his letter, packing her back and teleporting to the aetheryte crystal in gridania. She looked around before spotting Munchix and giving him a wave before walking over. "Hello, Munchix. I am here for adventure." she grinned.

(Munchix Bogbelly) He was impressed by how Rayena had teleported here with such ease. Due to pitifully small reserves of magical talent, Munchix had never been able to use aetherytes, instead opting to travel by land or sea. “Ah! Gobbed ta’ see ya! Do you have everything you need? It’s going to be quite cold where we’re going...Got a set of warm clothes? Tent? Extra tea cup?”

(Rayena Corsano) She smiled and nodded. "I have warm clothing, some food, a tent, but no extra tea cup as I didn't bring any tea. I don't even know if we could heat water in the snow. Though, I do have magic so, I can heat just about anything." she grinned. "Did 'ye have everything 'ye need is 'yer bag secure?"

(Munchix Bogbelly) With a big grin on his face, he fondly patted his backpack. “It’s alright, you can use my spare. Never know when you’re gonna need a nice, hot cup of leafjuice. And I’m good! Last time there was a hole in my pack, but that’s been patched up! Ready and rearin’ to go, if you are.”

(Munchix Bogbelly) A messily cut piece of burlap has been sewn onto Munchix’s backpack. It’s one of many similar fixes...

(Rayena Corsano) "Hey Munchix, 'ye know. I am a seamstress by trade, if 'ye need anything fixed or made, 'ye can just let me know and I can put something together. I specialize in fancy wear but, I think I can work with survival gear for 'ye." she beamed.

(Munchix Bogbelly) His eyes light up. “Really? I’d be mighty grateful. Should...Should I get this looked at before we leave then? Or do you think it’ll hold...” Munchix pokes one of the patches on his backpack, curious.

(Rayena Corsano) She beamed. "Let me take a look." she said before inspecting his pack, moving around to check all the patches sewn in. "I believe it'll hold but, if by chance it opens again, I've got me kit on me and can fix it for 'ye." she grinned.

(Munchix Bogbelly) He nodded, feeling assured by her expert opinion. “Got it. Now, let’s be off! Times a tickin’, and if there’s anything I know about Gridania...it’s that you don’t want to be caught out in the dark.”

(Munchix Bogbelly) we can start in the north shroud. yellow serpent gate :3 ))

(Munchix Bogbelly) ...and the moment Munchix steps foot out of Gridania, he’s attacked by a small gang of ‘forest friends’. Thankfully, the guard is nearby to help defend the gobcat...against ladybugs.

(Rayena Corsano) "Everything alright? Did 'ye get hurt?" she asked before sitting down next to Munchix, she looked concerned though a ladybug couldn't be that powerful compared to a tiger.

(Munchix Bogbelly) He lifts one of his arms and gives it a good shake - a pebble-sized ladybug tumbles out. “Ah no, I’m fine! It’ll take much more than that to send me to the lifestream!” For a second, he wonders why the wildlife in the Black Shroud are so keen on following him around? Perhaps his eating habits are upsetting the Elementals, or whatever they are? Munchix shrugs. A question for another time.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “Alright, so our first destination is a camp in Alder Springs. It’s a bit of a walk, but we just got to head west and follow the sound of water. And hopefully, we find some interesting critters ‘long the way!”

(Rayena Corsano) Rayena nodded. "Good." she said, giving him a smile before raising to her feet, her chakrams hung along her hips. "Well, 'ye lead the way and I will follow, as long as we're not threatening looking we should be fine!" she beamed.

(Munchix Bogbelly) Munchix isn’t a threatening looking guy to begin with, but he does his best to try to look even more meek. With Rayena’s okay, he dashes ahead, finally stopping at a crossroads.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “Er, left, I think. OH look, there!” He excitedly points at the Treant Sapling as it lumbers about in the distance. “Something I’ve always been curious about...is how such saplings reproduce? My first guess would be through fruit and flower, which leads me to my next thought. How would such a fruit taste?”

(Rayena Corsano) Rayena looked over at the sapling once Munchix pointed it out, tilting her head. "I don't really know, maybe when it's time they produce seeds which they shake off and they grow. Though, they could always reproduce like animals do since they are a bit sentient." she giggled.

(Munchix Bogbelly) A gasp escapes from Munchix, and it’s quickly followed by a blush. “This is an aspect of Treants that I have not considered. There is so much we don’t know yet. But...I wonder.”

(Munchix Bogbelly) He inches a little closer to the Treant, eyeing the ground around it in search of seeds. Every so often, he looks up to check the branches of the creature. The Treant, so far, simply regards Munchix as an annoying fly.

(Rayena Corsano) "Or maybe when one dies, it sustains the earth and a new one grows from it, just like how other things grow if we decompose in the ground. Shame they don't talk though..."

(Munchix Bogbelly) “All interesting theories! Oh, waitwait. Let me write this all down.” He pulls out a beaten up tome from his pack, frantically flips to a page, and starts scribbling madly. The Treant saddles up behind him, as if reading what he’s putting down on paper.

(Munchix Bogbelly) Once he’s done writing, he puts the book away. In that motion, his foot slips on a round object. Munchix goes down with a nonchalant “oof,” and when he gets up, he holds the object up in his hand - a seed the size of a golf ball. He raises a brow at Rayena.

(Rayena Corsano) Rayena watches him scribble down before looking towards the Treant that settled behind him. She then gives the sentient tree and wave before looking over at Munchix as he fell. "Oh no! 'Ye alright?" she asked before eyeing the seed. "Maybe that is one of the babies..."

(Munchix Bogbelly) “Could be...” He examines the seed. It looks identical to an avocado pit. It might even just BE an avocado pit. But...what if it wasn’t? Munchix offers the seed to Rayena if she wants to take a look.

(Rayena Corsano) Ray takes the seed, inspecting it. "Kind of looks like an avocado pit but, if it is one of the babies, we should probably leave it here unless 'ye want an overgrown sentient tree following 'ye around. Though, 'ye always have a shady spot once it's full grown." she giggled.

(Munchix Bogbelly) Munchix takes back the seed and without hesitation, tries to take a bite out of it. He fails to leave a mark. “Ooouwshh, thish thing’s hard! Thought it might be shoft, like a peanut...” He complains, rubbing at his jaw.

(Munchix Bogbelly) Rayena: it could be a baby! Munchix: *immediately tries to eat* xD )) (Rayena Corsano) munchix is a baby eater...confirmed)

(Rayena Corsano) She gaps than grimaces once he takes a bite of the seed. "Course it is hard, silly! It's a seed but, why did you bite it if we think it's a baby, you nearly killed a baby, Munchix."

(Munchix Bogbelly) He tucks the seed away in a side pocket. “Would you say that if I was eating a walnut? Hm, though...walnut trees aren’t the type to be walkin’ around like this one...” Munchix looks at the Treant again. He had never considered the moral dilemmas of his monster eating habits. Too much to unpack here. Gobbrain hurt.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “I don’t have the name ‘Bogbelly’ for no reason. But, if I’m about to eat something that you oppose to, just say the word. Sorry ‘bout that.” He tilts his head slightly to the left in apology.

(Rayena Corsano) She watches him place the seed into his pocket. "'Ye keeping it? Does that mean 'ye gunna see ut grow?" she asks, than shrugs. "Most things 'ye can eat. I am just unsure about babies, since they need to grow and experience life, and stuff that'll make 'ye sick or even kill 'ye but, other than that, eat anything 'ye want." she grinned.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “A souvenir!” He grins. “Though our main purpose for journeying is lookin’ for new flora and fauna...I’ll admit, I have a personal motive as well. Our final destination, the Dravanian Hinterlands, is where my family lives. It’d be cool to show them this later.”

(Munchix Bogbelly) “Let’s keep going. We’re still a little ways off from Alder Springs.”

(Rayena Corsano) She nodded. "Oh! I can't wait to meet 'em. Let's go!" she grinned.

(Munchix Bogbelly) He led the way again, following the road to settlement.

(Munchix Bogbelly) The light of the Alder Springs settlement glowed gently against the calm, dark night. It wasn’t too far now, though...Munchix has stopped in his steps, eyes affixed on the humongous insects nearby.

(Rayena Corsano) Rayena stopped a step or so behind Munchix before following his gaze. "Oh. Becareful of those, they look rather big, than stinger looks painful." she shuddered.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “The stingers the size of a horsebird! Why’s it gotta be so big? Hunting...big prey, perhaps? Like us?” Despite what he’s saying, Munchix’s voice remains awfully chipper.

(Rayena Corsano) "Probably. They're predator bugs, big bugs. And the stinger probably has venom in it, either to paralyze them so the kill is easier or it outright kills 'ye. Though, me sister said someone told her the stinger is how they, uh, reproduce but, I could be wrong and it is venomous. Eitherway, I'd be careful." she nodded.

(Munchix Bogbelly) Munchix’s takeaway from Rayena’s words of wisdom...will always be of questionable priority. Be careful? What’s that? “The stinger is how they reproduce?! But ALSO to kill?! That’s brutal! Hah, think of all the bedroom accidents these fellas get in!”

(Munchix Bogbelly) “Anyway, these sorts of creatures tend to be mostly shell and little substance. 3 out of 10 edibility. Of course, I’m still curious...Maybe the guard wouldn’t mind me picking through their kill sometime.” He eyes the sentry, who has presently been defending the bridge against any threats. Banemites, Ixali, whatever gets too close.

(Rayena Corsano) She makes a grimace face. "I can't imagine they'd taste good at all. Bleck." she said, sticking out her tongue, than looked over at the kill. "I don't see why not, it doesn't seem like they are too interested in it."

(Munchix Bogbelly) Munchix steps over to a Banemite corpse and uses a survival knife to slice a bit of pincer off. “Won’t know till’ you try! I’ll cook this up tonight...and don’t worry. I’ll take the first bite.” Thumbs up!

(Munchix Bogbelly) The pincer sticks out from his pack. Munchix follows the road to its end, to Alder Springs.

(Rayena Corsano) She blinked. "'Ye mean I have to eat it? What if I don't like it?" she asked before shrugging. "Good thing I brought extra food." she smiled.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “You don’t hafta eat it. We’re still in civilization, plenty of local chow to enjoy. And! If you don’t like it, then I probably won’t like it, and we can ‘don’t like it’ together!” Munchix is incredibly chipper about this.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “The Babbling Cork is a nice place to spend the night. Let’s head over there and enjoy the sights, shall we?”

(Munchix Bogbelly) munchix would try to eat a rock if not for Rayena xD ))

(Rayena Corsano) She giggled at his comment before nodding. "Ye! Let's!" she beamed and started to head over.

(Munchix Bogbelly) theres more ppl than I thought here! It's a nice place to be sure :D )) (Munchix Bogbelly) woah wait this place is way bigger than I thought ))

(Munchix Bogbelly) The moment Munchix steps in, he lets out a relieved sigh. “Ah! It’s nice to be off the road...Ever been here? It’s pretty swanky. Nice rooms, tastymuch food, and to top it all off...if you go on the deck behind the place, you’ve got front row seats to a huge waterfall!”

(Rayena Corsano) Rayena looked around. "No, I don't think I've been this far out from Gridania and I really don't go to Gridania very much." she nodded than beamed. "I really want to see this deck before we leave here. Would be nice over supper or breakfast." she grinned.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “As I always say, the best time to see the world is now! Happy to show you ‘round.” Munchix puffs up his chest proudly. “Let’s go over and take a look then. I bet others have had the same idea, and we could even order food while lookin’ at the falls.”

(Rayena Corsano) "Yes! Lets!" she beamed, seemingly excited and before he could respond she was off.

(Munchix Bogbelly) OH WAIT HM am i mistaken... )) (Munchix Bogbelly) OH IT's the other side hahah ))

(Munchix Bogbelly) Munchix followed Rayena out, so pumped that he accidentally ran to the wrong side. For a second his heart drops when he’s met with a disappointing view of a cliffside...but he thinks to check the other side. Phew! There’s the view he remembers.

(Rayena Corsano) Rayena seemed to have gone the right way, curious where Munchix had gone, maybe he was getting food. Her thoughts seemed to vanish once she saw the waterfall. "Well, this is just perfect." she beamed and turned to look at Munchix once he arrived. "This looks so beautiful!" she beamed.

(Munchix Bogbelly) Munchix nods in agreement while enjoying the mist that rose out from the falls. “Can’t beat Nophica when it comes to spectacles in nature, huh?”

(Munchix Bogbelly) He settles down on one of the benches with a content sigh. And then, it’s back to work. He pulls out a small cutting board and starts to clean the Banemite stinger he hacked off earlier. It's a weird sight. The calming falls, juxtaposed with...butchering.

(Rayena Corsano) Rayena moved to sit down next to the gobcat watching him butcher the stinger, her head tilted, curious. She'd never seen anyone do this before though, she had never seen anyone eat the singer before either. "'Ye reckon it's safe? If there is venom..." she frowned.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “We’re exploring the great unknown! How wondrous!” With the way Munchix handles the knife, it’s obvious that he’s highly skilled at this sort of handiwork. “I’ve never cleaned a stinger of this size, but that makes it a little easier, actually. Usually, there’ll be parts around it that you can eat. And for everything else, boiling can hamper the effects of venom to an extent...”

(Munchix Bogbelly) “Rule number one. When trying something new, always start with a small bite, and only when you’re sure. And I’m not too sure about this.” Munchix picked away at the stinger, organizing it into neat piles. “Maybe just a little...lick.”

(Rayena Corsano) Ray looked outright concerned the more Munchix talked. "Okay. I think I am going to pass on the stinger cause it's no good if we both get sick, at least if one of us gets sick, the other can get help and cure them. So, if 'ye are truly curious, 'ye can eat it and just...tell me how it tastes." she beamed.

(Munchix Bogbelly) “Smart thinking!” Emboldened by Rayena’s promise of healing, he took a small nibble from a hopefully safe piece of stinger. His smile fell into a frown, and then back to a smile, and then...to a look of confusion. “.....................”

(Munchix Bogbelly) “It’s numbed my tongue, but in a pleasant sort of way? Er, well, enough for now. I don’t feel bad otherwise.”

(Munchix Bogbelly) I gotta head out soonish, so next posts we can wrap things up, and leave stuff for next time :D ))

(Rayena Corsano) Rayena watched his face as it transformed, looking at the stinger, than back at the gob cat. "Well, how does it taste? 'Ye look confused."

(Munchix Bogbelly) “Like an incredibly tough piece of raw scallop, I guess. Could use some salt to bring out its flavor a bit more. Something like this might go well if cut thinly and served with peppers...” Munchix shrugged. “But it’s not the best. Kind of has this weird...sharp taste that lingers after. Ah! This is all good to know...and pass on, in case of any. Unfortunate events.”

(Munchix Bogbelly) He pulls out the tome again and writes everything down in an entry dedicated to the Banemite. Perhaps this was Rayena’s first taste of Munchix’s true eccentricities, but it certainly wouldn’t be her last. The pair continued to chat until the night got too dark to stay out any longer. The journey would continue another day.