Frazz by Jef Mallett for June 03, 2022

Earthworms don’t make something that other animals want.

And bees rarely sting out of spite they only do so when they feel threatened.

Worms have the weapon of ‘ickiness.’

Today’s comic is definitely bee grade…

They don’t have honey to protect, either.

We need ‘em both. Can’t bait a hook with a bee. Can’t pollinate with an earthworm.

Some might even ask, “Why doesn’t everything have stingers?”

Earth worm has natural camouflage and a handy hiding place. One has to work to get it. A bee on the other hand not so much.

The curious thing is that the worker bee’s stinger is a repurposing of their ovipositor, we are being stung with female genetalia.

“Respect the tool.”

Honey bees don’t sting to protect themselves, they only sting to protect their honey supply.

Butterflies with Uzis ….

Stingers just don’t work well in the narrow little tunnels earthworms create.

That’s a last gasp defence as the sting tears off the bee’s body. It’s a suicide sting attack.

It’s true, the sting of a honeybee is a last gasp defense of the hive as it ALWAYS kills the bee, while the bumble bee can sting repeatedly with no damage to itself, hornets as well.

Of course, the pain of the sting doesn’t help us appreciate the attendant death of the insect causing it.

“Self-defense” that’s always fatal is not much of a defense.

The thing is, if you want to catch an earthworm you have to lure it out by setting up a thumper and getting the hell out of the way when it surfaces so it doesn’t eat you and your whole party. Not everyone has mastered the technique

42“Squirm”Matt FergusonAlice ProdanouFebruary 20, 2009 (2009-02-20)It’s time for an Archer Family father-son and mother-daughter adventure. While Abby and Petunia take on some extreme sports, Ty gets stuck on a fishing trip that he wishes he could have squirmed his way out of . . . especially when he and Harvey end up surrounded by giant angry worms! Grossology

https://www.wcostream.com/playlist-cat/458709/grossology-season-2-episode-16-squirm

What one species, harms or kills for spite…for sport ?

Australian earthworms are supposed to be rather large….

For most of North America, earthworms are an invasive species. Prior to the arrival of Europeans there hadn’t been any for 11,000 years.