Tarantula Hawk vs. Tarantula
Dear What’s That Bug Folks,
First, I love your site, and recommend it to every natural history buff I encounter! I have to be careful not to spend TOO much time on here perusing all the amazing photos and the answers you provide. Second, I live in Southern California on the San Diego/Riverside County line and a few weeks ago we happened to spot our first tarantula here so I ran to get the camera. I was very excited until a very large Tarantula Hawk buzzed onto the scene. We realized that it was too late to save this spider as the wasp had already stung and paralyzed him. I got photos of the wasp as she drug the spider down one slope, across the driveway, and down another slope into a hole she had already discovered or dug. My husband reluctantly agreed to use his foot for scale in the first photo, but that was before I told him that pepsis wasp stings were reportedly very painful! Thanks for such a great bug resource,
cindy m.
San Diego CA
Hi Cindy,
As far as photographs on our site go, this series has to rank in the uppermost percentile. Thank you so much for submitting your awesome Food Chain images of a Tarantula Hawk securing a meal for her progeny.
