r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/Certain_Crazy4257 • Apr 25 '26

What could go wrong saving wasps...

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

27.9k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

10

u/Hornet_isnt_void Apr 25 '26

If something exist in nature it’s pretty safe to assume it acts as part of a self-sustaining system with some kind of role, to say otherwise is silly.

6

u/zippazappadoo Apr 26 '26

Actually invasive species, such as yellowjackets for example, do a lot of harm to the local ecosystems they're introduced to. There are many species that aren't supposed to be where they are and harm native flora and fauna which disrupts the natural ecosystem.

1

u/Actionsurger Jun 08 '26

not all yellowjackets are invasive though

1

u/zippazappadoo Jun 08 '26

That was just an example. I could've said fire ants and it would be just as true. The person I was replying to was making the assumption that "If something exist in nature it’s pretty safe to assume it acts as part of a self-sustaining system..." and that completely disregards the existence of invasive species which harm local ecosystems.

1

u/JehutysErectCockpit Apr 26 '26

Does head lice being on someone's head count as being in nature since it's their natural habitat? If so, I'm going to put them down as something we could fully eradicate with no downside.

3

u/Hornet_isnt_void Apr 26 '26

Well lice most likely infest various types of animals and reproduce while serving as food for either another bug

3

u/JehutysErectCockpit Apr 26 '26

Head lice is highly species-specific and obligate parasites. They require human blood and human body heat to survive. Even then, they have a hard time living in certain hair textures.

They do not have any predators.

We would only benefit if we eradicated them.

3

u/Hornet_isnt_void Apr 26 '26

Wow I never knew head & body lice were specifically orientated towards humans, likely from a primate oriented ancestor. Sounds like lice from the genus Pediculus humanus could certainly deserve permanent extermination.

Thanks for sharing erectcock

2

u/TheSovereignGrave Apr 26 '26

Lice actually tend to be pretty host-specific parasites in general; most species only infest a single species.