Plants always win…and to manage it, they need insects, arachnids, and other creepy-crawlies on their side. Of course, those creatures need plants too. In this episode, Sean and Erin are joined by Kelly and Amanda of Bugs Need Heroes. And what happens when you cross-pollinate a gardening podcast with one where an entomologist and an illustrator create bug-based superheroes? There’s a lot of laughter, a heaping scoop of science, and the birth of a new squad of garden defenders.

Insects and their compatriots come armed with some pretty impressive real-world superpowers that savvy gardeners can use to their advantage. This week’s discussion delves into the incredible diversity of insect species, the role biting insects play in pollination, the importance of leveraging friendly neighbourhood garden expertise for advice that suits your location, and the villainy of spraying for mosquitoes. Then there’s the highlight of the episode: superhero personas based on the denizens of the garden, including bumblebees, wolf spiders, and…well, you’ll have to listen to find out.

Want more of Kelly and Amanda? Visit the Bugs Need Heroes website at https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/ or find their Reddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/BugsNeedHeroes/. 

Fact Check:

The year of the last recorded death by black widow venom in the United States is stated on many websites as 1983. Wikipedia offers a link to the Clinical Toxicology paper this fact apparently comes from, although the link is broken.

If you have questions of your own or if you want to weigh in on these topics (we love learning new things through respectful discussion!), email us or reach out over social media.

Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com 

TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast 

YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast

Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com 

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Credits

Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin

Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays

License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

Citation

Bumblebee Proboscises by Rusty

Burlew, R. (2024, July 8). Hey bee, stick out your tongue and say “Ahh.” Honey Bee Suite. https://www.honeybeesuite.com/hey-bee-stick-out-your-tongue-and-say-ahh/

Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Bugs Need Heroes!

02:40 Bugs are everywhere

03:22 How Many Wolf Spiders? We Don't Know. 

04:45 Plants vs. Insects: How they Make New Ones

07:40 Amanda's Real Superhero Background

09:20 Kelly's Real Bug Background

10:53 Mosquitoes are Essential, Actually (Stop Spraying!)

17:43 Context! Nuance! Location Matters.

21:26 The One Species Kelly would Remove from Earth

22:30 Yes, Sean has Mites in his Eyebrows (So Do You)

23:40 Insect Superheroes

24:56 Erin's Insect Hero: Just a Happy Lil Bumblebee

30:45 Kelly's Insect Hero: Wolf Spider

32:46 Black Widow Bites

37:16 Maman the Spider Sculpture in Ottawa

40:03 The Hunter Hunter Phagogenesis Tangent

42:15 Amanda's Luck-Powered Hero Insect

47:50: Sean's Serviceberry Hero

51:18 Is Superman a Plant?

57:33 Snail Teeth are Stronger than Diamonds

58:50 Our Hero Costumes

1:01:16 Shout-Outs

1:02:30 Outro and Contact Us