Meet the Meat Bee... the Western Yellowjacket! | Deep Look

About this video

Why is that yellowjacket crashing your BBQ? Well, she wants what you're having: burgers, hot dogs, fish and turkey. But she doesn't eat them herself. Her nest's larvae need that protein to develop. So she carves up your dinner and makes teeny-tiny meatballs for them. SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! https://www.youtube.com/user/kqeddeeplook?sub_confirmation=1 Please join our community on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/deeplook DEEP LOOK is a ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. -- Yellowjackets bring back all kinds of interesting fare to their nests. The scavenging species might make meatballs out of moth wings, cockroaches or pieces of carrion. And all that food gathering and flying around gives adult yellowjackets an appetite. After delivering scavenged foods to the larvae, adult yellowjackets prod the youngsters and they offer their thanks in the form of a sugary throw up, or exudate. The adults slurp that up and jet off on more meatball missions. ---+ Are yellowjackets pollinators? Yellowjackets are pollinators! They visit flowers to gather sugary nectar that helps fuel their flight. They’re not as good at pollinating plants as bees are because their bodies are less hairy so they don’t pick up as much pollen. ---+ Do yellowjackets die after they sting? Yellowjackets do not die after they sting. They can sting multiple times, but it’s a last resort when they are threatened. ---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science: https://www.kqed.org/science/1980663/yellowjackets-roll-tiny-meatballs-for-the-babies ---+ Busy Bees and Other Pollinators Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjOfbEWVBpE&list=PLdKlciEDdCQCfoI8E24mbuk259unmiwG9 GIF CHALLENGE WINNERS: Wow! We were looking for a term - exudate - but you all really delivered here! We're calling: Sheldfreeze18 RodrigoBorges BovineTerror I Jane TheWhiteScatterbug ... our winners. Thanks all for playing and we'll be more clear in our language for the next quiz! ---+ Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10+ per month)! Jessica Burt Humburg Karen Reynolds Daisuke Goto Allison & Maka Masuda David Deshpande Chris B Emrick Tianxing Wang Companion Cube Wade Tregaskis Mark Jobes Kevin Judge Blanca Vides Laurel Przybylski Jana Brenning Anastasia Grinkevic Titania Juang Supernovabetty monoirre Aurora Roberta K Wright KW El Samuels Carrie Mukaida Syniurge Kimberly Hall Jessica Hiraoka Jellyman Cristen Rasmussen Mehdi Nicky Orino SueEllen McCann Kelly Hong Cindy McGill Noreen Herrington Laurel Przybylski Shelley Pearson Cranshaw Louis O'Neill Jeremiah Sullivan Nicolette Ray Levi Cai Elizabeth Ann Ditz Caitlin McDonough Silvan Delphine Tseng TierZoo Kenneth Fyrsterling ---+ Follow Deep Look and KQED Science on social: https://www.tiktok.com/@deeplookofficial https://www.patreon.com/deeplook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kqedscience Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kqedscience ---+ About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED. #yellowjackets #vespulapensylvanica #deeplook