One bad bug

[lagarto]

For all you nature folks out there, check out the attached pictures. We ran across these in the woods at work the other day (near Fajardo Puerto Rico). It's called a tarantula hawk and actually goes down tarantula holes, drives out the tarantula kills it, then drags it back down the hole. For those of you inteterested I have a 3 minute avi as well, but I couldn't figure out how to post it. I think it could be sent through email though.

Lagarto

 

[orthogonal1]

I've been under the impression that tarantulas really aren't that deadly or bad.

I had what was sold to me as a "African Red" as a pet for two years and it never really threatened me. I would let it walk about the apartment every so often. Fed it crickets and such.

It didn't like loud, bass heavy music, though.

Is that "hawk" some kind of hornet?

Answer - it is a wasp, as are hornets - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_hawk

 

[MacHete]

That one is much more colorful than the ones I saw in the Mojave. They were a matte black and had amber colored wings.

They kill (or maybe just paralyze- I don't remember) the tarantula and lay their eggs on it. The young hatch and eat the arachnid. Yum! :barf:

 

[Bob W]

I've been under the impression that tarantulas really aren't that deadly or bad.

Tarantulas are harmless.

That other bug looks like a mean mother though!

 

[TorzJohnson]

I read about this type of wasp that uses precisely placed stings to turn a roach into a compliant zombie. The first sting reversibly paralyzes the roach's front legs, the second sting into a specific area of the brain then destroys the roach's escape instinct. After it's zombified, the roach allows itself to be led into the wasp's burrow to have eggs laid on it.

I found a web page about it here: Wasp performs roach-brain-surgery to make zombie slave-roaches

 

[superduty truck]

hhmm interesting a great way to control roaches

 

[Absintheur]

Out at our range here in Indiana we have a large infestation of Cicada Killer Wasps. They are huge things and do much the same, sting the cicada to paralyze it, lay the egg and stick it in a burrow. We had so many I was about scared to head out there till I was finally stung by one. What a let down...lol. First I had to hit one on my arm three times before it stung me...these things are incredibly docile, and as I found out their venum is so specific to cicadas that it has just about zero effect on humans...a sweat bee sting hurts more and a deerfly 100 times as much. Now I just ignore them while cheering on their efforts to eradicate the cicadas.

 

[lagarto]

Hey Absintheur,
Tarantula Hawks are supposed to be a different story. They do appear docile, but apparently their sting hurts worse than just about any other bug and females can have a stinger up to 1/3 of an inch long. I'm a fan of the tarantula myself, and used to raise scorpions, most of which are harmless as well, but these hawks are kind of creepy. Interesting to see it in action though.

Lagarto

 

[mwerner]

You beat me to it, Absintheur. Those Cicada killers are seriously large wasps. I saw one in action when I was in my teens; heard a terrible buzzing and thrashing in the maple tree next to me, and then down comes the pair of them, the wasp and it's prey.
The wasp stung the cicada into submission and flew off with it.