this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2026
1076 points (98.6% liked)

Science Memes

20436 readers
788 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.



Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.ca 101 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I don't know, they're not all created the same. When I'm in the pool, I let bees land on me, or will fish them out of the water with my hands. Paper wasps look super frightening, but they're even more docile than honey bees. Yellow jackets on the other hand are complete assholes. We had a nest of them in the yard once and they would go way out of their way to sting people, just for the hell of it. Like not anyone close to the nest or anything, just someone on the patio chilling. I would leave a beehive, but I eradicated the yellow jacket nest.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 31 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Yellow jackets on the other hand are complete assholes. We had a nest of them in the yard once and they would go way out of their way to sting people, just for the hell of it.

This was my experience too. I had thought that bees had moved into a bush in my yard. I was happy to have bees there. A week later I was mowing the grass and felt several stabs of pain on my back and wrist. I turn around and see the air is filled with them. I had swatted one in my escape and had a corpse to inspect later and found it was a Yellow jacket wasp. From a distance I could see they were entering and exiting a hole near the bottom of the bush. A quick internet search later I knew that they were nearly dormant at night, and that they need a special oil they produce on the outside of their body to breath. Dawn dish soap apparently strips that away and they die, and its not toxic to the ground or environment.

I put half a bottle of Dawn squirted into their hole at the bottom of the bush at night. I never saw another Yellowjack wasp.

[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Ugh, sounds awful, but glad you found a solution. I don't remember what I put down the hole they had at the base of a tree. Wasn't dawn, I don't think.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I wasn't prepared for those stings on my skin to still be hurting some a week later.

[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 days ago

Oh, they're SO painful. Really unnecessarily nasty.

[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 3 points 1 day ago

Live by the stinger, die by the stinger

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 37 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I don't know if this is true but I've heard yellow jackets get intoxicated on fermenting fruit and become mean drunks.

[–] booscience@beehaw.org 25 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It’s true, I used to be a yellow jacket

[–] TheFrirish@tarte.nuage-libre.fr 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

What do you mean? Are you not French anymore?

[–] Mpatch@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Yep, paper wasps are chill as fuck. I had a hive of them living on my deck under the hand rail. I'd go out and chill with them daily with my coffee during that summer. They would stare at me for a bit. Then get back to eating bits of my deck.

[–] AmbientChaos@sh.itjust.works 32 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I'm so confused, the paper wasps around here are territorial assholes. Had a nest built on my porch and had to stop using that door. We let them be because we built the house in their woods, but they were definitely not chill at all haha

Edit: Did some learning, the regional species of paper wasps we encounter are known not only for their aggression but also their vastly more painful sting. Wonderful!

[–] Droechai@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Which region if I may ask? Id love to know where never to camp ;)

[–] AmbientChaos@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ozark Mountains! But you should definitely still camp here, I live in the woods and wouldn't trade this area for anything!

[–] Droechai@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It looks wonderful on pictures, but I live in Norrbotten, Sweden so its a bit far away for a camping trip

[–] AmbientChaos@sh.itjust.works 2 points 18 hours ago

Norbotten is gorgeous! I'll come camp with you, you come camp with me?!

[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 days ago

They're fun to watch because they often grab caterpillars from plants and take them away or eat them nearby. Great for gardens.