Promachus rufipes with a Mantidfly Lunch
Hi Bugman,
Thanks for posting my pic of the Swallowtail caterpillar. Hope you like this one of Promachus rufipes with a Mantidfly Lunch Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. April 2007
Trevor Jinks
Hi Again Trevor,
Your photos are very nice, and additionally, they are small files. We are still having problems getting large images. This image of a large Robber Fly will also be a nice addition in our Food Chain section.
Stink Bug
I was surprised when I saw on your site that stink bugs primarily eat plants as this one seems to be enjoying a supplemental diet item. I found this pair in August in Central New York State.
Photo Lady
Hi again Photo Lady,
What an awesome photo of a Predatory Stink Bug enjoying a Daddy Long Legs meal. It took us a bit of research, but we believe this Stink Bug is in the genus Podisus based on images found on BugGuide.
What’s this bug???
We have been watching quite a few of these in our back yard but they never stop long enough to photograph until today when I watched one bury a big grub. They don’t appear to be aggressive but looks like some kind of wasp? (And no it is not dead in the second picture, it was actually burrowing a hole!) Would love some info. Thanks
Maria
Hi Maria,
Wow, what wonderful images of a Scoliid Wasp burying a Scarab Beetle Grub. We are not sure of the species and plan to immediately research this. We only wish you had provided us with a location. It looks like it might be the genus Scolia, but BugGuide does not show any solid black bodies. Scoliid Wasps are large, hairy, robust wasps that prey on Scarab Beetle Grubs. The female digs a burrow and buries the Grub, laying an egg. the wasp larva is an external parasite on the beetle grub. Adult Scoliid Wasps take nectar. Though he could not substantiate the species identification, Eric Eaton did provide the following natural history clarification: ” Daniel: I can’t tell you anything about the identification, but the life history needs clarification. Scoliid wasp females simply dig up a scarab grub, sting it into submission, lay a single egg on it, and maybe cover it up before fleeing the scene. The scarab grub can at least partially revive and go about its business, but is doomed….The adult female wasp does not prepare a burrow or anything, like most sphecid wasps, spider wasps, etc. Eric “
We live in Engadine, a southern suburb of Sydney, Australia
I sent you a photo of a tarantula and pepsis wasp about a month ago that you put on your site. Today I’m at the same location, and this wasp was dragging this spider. The wasp unlike the large black pepsis, is smaller and has a red body with dark blue wings. The spider too is smaller and less hairy. Is this one just a smaller version of the tarantula? Is this another type of wasp? Thank you for this great site. It’s been very helpful to me.
Jordan
Costa Rica
Hi Jordan,
We have similarly colored Spider Wasps in the U.S. in the genus Tachypompilus. The spider appears to be a Huntsman Spider.
Spider eating cockroach
Hi Mr. Bugman,
‘Tis me again from Halls Head, Western Australia. This spider took almost 2 hours to demolish a fair sized cockroach, he then returned about an hour later to check for left overs. I have looked on your site and in my books, is it a Grey Crevice Jumping Spider please? Thank you, cheers,
Karen
P.S. I did send this back in Dec/January but I think you must be still mega busy….
Hi Karen,
This is a Jumping Spider in the Family Salticidae, but we do not know what species. Without going into the myriad reasons we are unable to answer each and every question that is sent to us, we will say that if your letter does not get answered within three days, chances are very good that it will not get answered since so many additional letters have arrived and we try to devote time to the newest arrivals when we are selecting what to answer on a given day. Additionally, a catchy subject line generally catches our eye, and a subject line that reads “no subject” generally gets ignored.
an amazing little spider holding on to a HUGE fly
Hi Bugman,
I am the person from Mexico who sent you pictures of a sulfur butterfly and several snout butterflies last year. This time I am simply giving these new pictures as a gift to you. I found this in my garden yesterday and thought it was rather amazing. This tiny spider managed to catch such a huge fly, all on its own! I heard a buzzing sound coming from the plants nearby, and I thought it might be a bumblebee, so I went to see; But what I found instead, was a huge fly trying to get away from this tiny little spider, who was trying very hard to hold on to a leaf as this fly tried to buzz away. Eventually it lost grip and both insects fell down, after about 30 seconds of struggle, but they fell softly on other leaves from a different plant, and from there I picked them up with my hand (by gripping one of the fly’s legs), and placed them on a surface for photographing. For a while I thought this huge fly was going to fly away even with the spider still attached! The spider was solidly attached to this fly all of the time, without letting go at any time. For the next 7 minutes or so, the fly stopped buzzing and simply stood there, still standing upright, looking in different directions occassionally, and acting in a seemingly very unconcerned way. Then it finally succumbed to the spider and stopped all major movements, and collapsed (although it still continued moving very slowly). At no moment did the spider show any fear for my presence. After the fly collapsed I took them back to the leaves, and I let the spider grip on to a leaf. But even though it was holding on with all/most of its legs, it was still very slowly being pulled down by the fly’s weight! So I gave it a hand and pushed the fly from the bottom up carefully, and this helped it place the fly in a much better place. That was quite an experience! I never thought such a tiny spider would be able to catch such a huge prey, although it definitely was having MAJOR problems doing so. Regards,
Humberto
Hi Humberto,
What a fascinating account of a Jumping Spider in the family Salticidae, capturing a fly. Jumping Spiders do not make a web. They have excellent eyesight and they leap onto their prey.
Spider wasp, also from Vieques
Hi LA and D,
Here’s a spider wasp (Tachypompilus ignitus) that we also came across on Vieques last month. They are seen flying all over the island, looking in flight like hefty, slower dragonflies. No questions this time; just an image to share. Any luck with that thick-waisted wasp/bee/robber fly guy below? …we’re also including a much closer crop of the beach wasp photo that we sent
the same day.
Thanks again!
Jim and Sandy
NYC
 |  |
| Spider Wasp | Sand Wasp |
Hi Jim and Sandy,
Thanks for sending us your Spider Wasp image taken in Puerto Rico. The other wasp is a Sand Wasp, also known as a Digger Wasp, in the genus Bembix. Sand Wasps nest in shallow tubes and the female supplies the larvae with flies and other insects. Your photo shows her dragging a fly into the nest.
Corrections: The following corrections were provided by Eric Eaton (02/12/2007)
“The spider wasp from Puerto Rico is almost certainly a species of Pepsis, NOT Tachypompilus….the sand wasp is possibly not a Bembix species, either, but I don’t think you can tell conclusively from images alone… Eric” This correction would mean that the Spider Wasp is one of the Tarantula Hawks.
HELP
Hello,
Can you please help me. I have attached a photograph taken in my mothers backyard and was wondering if you could identify the bug that was eating yes eating the huntsman spider. It is an Australian animal (sydney, australia). We have children around the house and wanted to know if it was harmfull the the children and the name of the insect. Any help would be fantastic. Thank you in advance.
Sonia
Hi Sonia,
This is the fourth example of a Spider Wasp, Cryptocheilus bicolor, preying on a Huntsman Spider we have received in the last month. The wasp does not eat the spider. She digs a hole and buries the spider after laying an egg. The larval wasp then has a fresh meal of paralyzed spider meat since the spider is alive and in a coma. Spider Wasps have a painful sting, but they are not aggressive.
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