How Collecting Wasp Nests Helped ‘Hornet Boy’ Cope with His Anxiety

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a difficult condition to battle, characterized by severe shyness, fear of other people, and—occasionally—an inability to speak in public. It’s a mental illness that Terry Prouty has thought, at times, might be too much for him to bear. Then, he discovered a passion that helped him cope with SAD, a hobby that kept his thoughts off of his problems: collecting wasp nests.

On this episode of Daily VICE, we sat down with Prouty—known as “Hornet Boy” and the “Wasp Whisperer”—to hear about his struggle with SAD, and how building a prolific collection of wasp nests has helped him cope.