There are about 18,000 species of wasps in North America. Roughly 20 of them can hurt you.
The wasps people fear are all from one family: Vespidae. They make up less than 1% of wasp species on the continent. They build the visible nests, they defend them aggressively, and they're the ones you remember from a bad encounter.
The other 99% live solitary lives and ignore humans entirely. Many can't sting at all. Many more have stingers but never use them on people because they don't have a nest to defend.
What they do instead is hunt other insects. A single mud dauber stocks her nest with paralyzed spiders, including widows and recluses. A braconid wasp lays eggs in tomato hornworms. An ichneumon wasp parasitizes wood-boring beetles that kill ash trees. A cuckoo wasp infiltrates the nests of other wasps and bees. Some species control aphids; others control caterpillars, beetle grubs, or flies.
Most agricultural pest insects in North America are controlled, in part, by parasitic wasps that almost no human ever sees. There are over 25,000 species of ichneumon wasps alone, and they keep entire orders of insects in check.
The five or so wasp species that ruin a picnic in late August are real. The 17,995 species that are running the pest control infrastructure of an entire continent get almost none.
HBD ALLEN IVERSON aka The Answer aka Bubba Chuck, arguably the greatest “pound-for-pound” player ever!
1st Pick
Rookie Of The Year
NBA MVP
11x All-Star
4x Scoring Champion
3x Steals Leader
Hall Of Famer
NBA75
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Last week I joined @spencerpratt for a cookout in the Rolling 60s area in South Central LA
“In LA, black people are 8% of the population, but 35% of the homeless.
We have a black mayor in office. Do you not see your people out there suffering?”
This is a New Los Angeles
SECRETARY RUBIO: "Cuba has sponsored terrorism. For example, virtually every left-wing, radical, violent terrorist group in the Western Hemisphere has at some point relied on support from Cuba."
21 years ago, I sat in a prison cell and learned I was pregnant.
Every sign pointed toward abortion. Every circumstance said this baby would never have a chance.
But I chose life.
I saw value in my daughter before anyone else could.
What I didn’t know was that her birth would help change laws in America. Fifteen years after I gave birth while chained to a hospital bed with a sheriff standing watch, that story reached the highest levels of government. And @POTUS granted me a full and unconditional pardon and signed legislation ending the shackling of women during childbirth in federal prisons.
Today, that same baby walked across the stage as a graduate of MIT.
From a prison birth to one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Never let your circumstances determine someone’s worth.
There is value in life.
There is purpose in every child.
Go, baby. The world is yours. ❤️🎓
#MIT #Graduation #ChooseLife #Redemption #SecondChances #ValueInLife
This Memorial Day, we remember not only the men and women whose names are etched into stone, but also the quiet professionals whose sacrifices may never be publicly known. In recent weeks, another star was added to the wall at Central Intelligence Agency headquarters, a solemn reminder that some gave everything in silence, far from recognition, applause, or headlines.
Having worked alongside many of these individuals, I have seen firsthand the weight they carry and the sacrifices they make, not for recognition, but because they believed deeply in protecting this country and the people in it. Some spent years away from their families. Some operated in places where even a small mistake meant they would never come home. Some gave their lives, and much of what they did may remain classified forever.
Many Americans will never know their names. They will never hear the stories of the officers, targeters, analysts, and sources who stood in the shadows to stop attacks, track terrorists, warn of threats, and protect our homeland from enemies most people will never see. Yet their work mattered every single day.
Today, we honor all of the fallen, including those whose families carry their grief quietly, often unable to fully speak about the service and sacrifice of the person they lost. The stars on that wall are not just symbols. Each one marks a life dedicated to protecting this nation in silence. Behind every star is a story of sacrifice, courage, and a family that carries that loss forever.
We remember them. We honor them. And we owe them far more than most will ever know.
Memorial Day isn’t about barbecues or beach days—it’s about those American heroes who gave everything for our freedom.
THIS 70-SECOND VIDEO CAPTURES WHAT THE DAY IS TRULY ABOUT. 🇺🇸