Tangents' annual descent into horror returns with Trick or Treat Month! And this time, we brought some fiendish friends along! Join us for a whole month of spooky themes and special guest stars!

From out of the pumpkin patch rises author, YouTuber, and podcaster Jackson Bird, here to thrill us with terrifying tales of the scariest produce of all: gourds! From pumpkins to watermelon, this versatile family of fruits nourishes and terrifies in equal measure!

Get your extra-scary SciShow Tangents Halloween Decal here! Tell 'em Spooky Sam sent you!

Looking for more Jackson Bird? You can buy his book, Sorted, listen to his podcast, Cool Stuff Ride Home, or check him out on YouTube! And if you want to know what this waffle business we were talking about is, check out his series Will It Waffle?!

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A big thank you to Patreon subscribers Garth Riley and Tom Mosner for helping to make the show possible!

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While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on Twitter: Ceri: @ceriley Sam: @im_sam_schultz Hank: @hankgreen

[Truth or Fail]

Squash bees and poison pollen

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7033150/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666515821000147

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33998650/

https://lopezuribelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/SquashBeeBooklet-WEB_VERSION_FINAL.pdf

Field mice and cool cucumbers

https://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/oregon-vegetables/cucumbers-slicing-fresh-market

https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/tn/sfsm_opguide.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC396419/pdf/plntphys00196-0020.pdf

Crickets and bottle gourd instruments

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00606086

https://www.amentsoc.org/insects/glossary/terms/stridulation/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-are-cricket-gourds

[Ask the Science Couch]

Gourd cross-pollination

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/hortupdate_archives/2005/apr05/Melons.html

https://extension.sdstate.edu/saving-seed-pumpkins-squash-cucumbers-melons-and-gourds

https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/cross-pollination-between-vine-crops

https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/faq/will-cucumbers-cross-pollinate-other-vine-crops

[Butt One More Thing]

Aardvark cucumbers & dung piles

https://ulovane.co.za/2017/03/16/ulovane-update-aardvark-cucumber/

https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA00423203_2648