It's just very simple to be like this invader that's coming in, it's moving north, it's spreading, it's arrives. Like, it just sort of is very easy clickbait in our day needs. It Over the years, we've had many

many media panics about swarms and hordes, about infestations and plagues of dangerous

insects and arachnids that promise to reign death and

destruction down on the defenseless American public.

My guest today is comedian Akila Hughes, host of the podcast, How Is This Better?

A show that challenges the grifters who are controlling our government,

our attention, and so much of our daily lives.

She's also known for her work on the podcast's What a Day and Rebel Spirit, as well as her

YouTube channel, Akela, obviously.

Today we're talking about our American fear around sensationalized bugs,

from killer bees to infected mosquitoes to floating spiders and even back to one of the very

first freakouts around something called the kissing bug. We'll talk about the realities behind these

alleged infestations and what they can tell us about the language of our politics and the

way mass hysteria can create monstrous problems from perceived threats, no matter how tiny.

I'm your host, Chelsea Weber Smith, and this is American hysteria.

I am so excited to talk to our guests today about a topic that I have wanted to cover since the very beginning of our show.

And it's just never happened.

So thank you for bringing this to us, Akela, and welcome.

Thank you so much for having me.

It's great to be here.

Great to be infesting in the pod.

Yeah, just crossover here and scare the shit out of us. I'm so excited. So, yeah, as I mentioned, this is just one of those topics that feels like so ubiquitous in culture, but like we don't really know what killer bees are or like really how they made their way.

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