Some battles are easy to predict, while others are truly difficult. In the insect world, spider vs. wasp is a rivalry that has often invited debates among punters. So let’s answer the question once and for all, shall we?
Spiders and wasps are both powerful and fearsome constituents of the insect realm.
Both have their own weapons and tactics to fight and win in a battle. Both can be very aggressive when push comes to shove.
So, spiders vs. wasps – who will win in a fight? This question isn’t just a fun thing to imagine.
It’s a matter of life and death for some species. In this article, we try to make a comparison between these two and figure out who will win in a fight.
How Big Are They?
In the insect world, body size matters.
Ultimately, nine times out of ten, the winner of any fight is always the more powerful one, those who are bigger and have deadlier weapons.
So let’s first get an understanding of which one is bigger before we get any further.
How Big Are Spiders?
If you think that spiders are small creatures, think again. Your common garden spider might be small, but spiders can grow to be pretty huge in places like Australia.
The world record goes to the Goliath bird-eating spider (the name itself tells you how big this guy is). This beast of a spider can grow up to 4.7 inches long.
Now you might think, that’s actually not that big. But we haven’t shared one killer detail here – the legs of this spider can reach up to 11 inches (nearly a foot).
Imagine finding that thing on the wall of your house! What wasp could survive this nightmare?
Well, all spiders aren’t this huge. The smallest ones are pretty cute – the patu digua, the smallest spider in the world, is just 0.015 inches in length – that’s almost the size of your nail.
So when you want to know which one would win in a fight, the first question you should answer is – which spider are we talking about here?
Some other huge spiders are: Giant Huntsman spider (12 inches), Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater Spider (10 inches), Brazilian Giant Tawny Red Tarantula (10 inches), and Face-size Tarantula (8 inches)
How Big Are Wasps?
Now that we have established that spiders are truly the stuff of nightmares let’s get to the other insect terrorizing your dreams – wasps.
Did you know that the largest wasp is the Tarantula Hawk, which can be about 2.7 inches in length? Imagine a huge flying creature like this with a massive stinger attacking you from the sky!
Other giants wasps include the Dalara Garuda (2.5 inches), Giant Scoliid Wasp (2.5 inches), Mammoth Wasp (2.4 inches), and Asian Giant Hornet (2 inches)
Some wasps are quite small, such as the Mymaridae, which is just about 1/100th of an inch and is the smallest flying insect in the world.
All in all, wasps aren’t as big as spiders can be, so surely spiders have some advantage in hand-to-hand (or is it leg-to-leg?) combat.
Fortunately for the wasp, nature has evened things out by giving it wings. And that, combined with their nimbleness, can be enough to alter the equation in their favor.
Which is More Venomous?
We do have a clear answer to this question. Researchers in Australia (where else?) spent 13 years studying bites from various creatures and their impact on humans.
Apparently, wasps and bees are the single biggest reason for humans to reach the ER room, causing about a third of all such cases.
Spiders, snakes, and even jellyfish were in the fray, but none came even close to how dangerous these wasps could be.
So that’s a clear advantage for wasps, right?
Not so fast. While wasps might have caused a third of the cases, spiders weren’t too far behind, with 30 percent of all hospitalizations coming from their venomous bites.
Snakes came in a distant third with just 15 percent. So clearly, if anyone is giving a tough fight to the wasps, it is the spiders.
Some more shocking figures – nearly fifty percent of all cases happened inside homes (the horror!), and nearly two-thirds were in areas that had human populations near them, so these bites don’t always happen in woods and forests.
These creatures live right in our midst, and they are just waiting for the next occasion to bite you. Beware.
Whose Bite/Sting is More Painful?
I know what you are thinking – who would go around getting bitten by these creatures to find out which bite is more painful?
Well, don’t look at us, but some scientists decided that it would be a worthwhile exercise to figure this out.
And thus was born the Schmidt sting pain index. As the name suggests, spiders are not on the pain list because they don’t have stingers.
Their venom is not all that painful, though it can be life-threatening. But we would still love for you to know about some of the wasps on this list:
| Wasp | Pain Index |
| Tarantula Hawk | 4 |
| Warrior Wasp | 4 |
| Western Yellow Jacket | 2 |
| Paper Wasps | 1.5 |
Another group of scientists evaluated the painful sting of wasps, ants, bees, and other insects and came up with their own classification.
Their study confirmed that social wasps have the most painful bites in the world. The average pain index of these wasps was about 2.18, enough to make a grown man weep.
What Do They Eat?
Now let’s come to the reason why these insects would want to attack each other. And what other possible reason could there be for two insects to fight? Food, after all, is the biggest motivator in the world.
Do Spiders Eat Wasps?
Yes. Some spiders can and do eat wasps. Wolf spiders, Lynx spiders, garden spiders, crab spiders, Argiope bruennichi (european wasp spider), and so on lead a charmed life.
These guys weave tangled webs and wait for insects to get trapped in their webs. And every once in a while, a flying wasp will find itself caught in them.
So, what is a spider to do if a delectable snack presents itself on the web? Well, eat it, of course! The spider quickly injects its venom into the poor victim and then gets ready to feast on the spoils of victory.
Do Wasps Eat Spiders?
Yes, wasps, despite their smaller size, can eat spiders. In fact, there is one particular species of wasp that has made a spider its primary prey – the aptly named spider wasp.
Although these wasps aren’t actually fighting against spiders for food. They are doing it for the survival of their bloodline. How? Read on.
Spider wasps use spiders as live food for their larvae when they hatch. These wasps fight spiders more than twice their size, stinging them repeatedly in the abdomen until the spider keels over paralyzed (but unfortunately not dead).
The wasp then drags the zombie spider back to its nest and places it along with her egg, covering the nest up with mud or a small pebble.
When the eggs hatch, there is a nice little meal already available for them laid out by their mama.
They carefully run through the poor spider’s body, leaving the vital organs for the last so that the poor thing remains alive till the very end.
That’s possibly the worst fate any creature could face in the world. For those with a stomach for such things, here’s a video of the fight and its aftermath:
The spider wasp is not the only one in on the act. There are other wasps that can also eat spiders, such as Ceropales Maculate.
Some species of spider wasp that are common in North America include Leaden spider wasp, Red Spider Wasp, Organ pipe mud dauber, and Entypus unifasciatus.
Who Will Win in a Fight?
So clearly, some spiders can eat wasps, and some wasps can eat spiders. That leads us straight back to our original question – who will win in a fight?
The answer, as with everything else in life, is not that simple. It depends on which spider is fighting which wasp. Let’s imagine some scenarios here:
Tarantula Hawk vs. garden spider
The tarantula hawk, as the name makes it abundantly clear, is a spider killer. Most garden variety spiders would not stand a chance against this fearless spider hunter, and if the video above was any indication, even tarantula doesn’t stand a chance.
Tarantula Hawk vs. Goliath bird-eating spider
Well, this one is a no-brainer. The Goliath is a true goliath, and the Tarantula Hawk’s David will not stand a chance against this beast. It’s huge – and might easily overpower the wasp.
Asian Giant Hornet vs. Goliath bird eater.
Well, this might be a more evenly matched contest. In this case, the result could go anywhere – it depends on the grit, gumption, and technique of the two fighters.
What can we say? Let the betting begin!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the spider ever win against the wasp?
Despite the fearlessness with which the spider wasp fights with spiders, there are instances when spiders can win in a direct, one-to-one contest.
If the spider is a larger one, such as a goliath birdeater, the sheer size will make it difficult for the wasp to go for its tender area – the abdomen. In such a fight, the spider will eventually come out victorious, either crushing the wasp or letting it fly away.
What does a wasp do to spiders?
Wasps have powerful stingers that can inflict serious pain on anyone they bite. Moreover, they have venom in their sting.
Venom helps to paralyze the insect or bug they are stinging, in this case, a spider. Typically, the wasp will try multiple times to sting at the softer parts of the spider so that the sting can become effective.
Slowly but surely, the spider starts to become paralyzed, and then the wasp simply lugs the spider back to her nest as live food for her larvae.
Do wasps have predators?
Yes, wasps do have their own predators, just like all other creatures on earth. Spiders can eat wasps, as we already said earlier.
But you will be surprised to know that centipedes, beetles, moths, praying mantises, and dragonflies can all kill and eat wasps.
Some might use guile, like the spider’s web, while others, like praying mantises, might use brute force.
What do wasps do to cockroaches?
They do the same thing that they do to spiders – they sting roaches. The female wasp will usually sting the poor roach twice, once in the abdomen, and then the killer shot to the brain.
The venom from the sting will make the roach paralyzed, and as it loses its senses, the wasp drags it back to her lair and plants an egg on it.
When the larvae come out, the roach becomes their first meal.
Wrap Up
It’s hard to make a call on the spider vs. wasp debates. They are good points on both sides, but more often than not, it is the size of the species that decides the winner.
Wasps prey on spiders, and spiders on wasps. So both are mortal enemies. And in this eternal fight between two equals, the only referee is mother nature.
Thank you for reading!