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    • Ralph
      Moderator
        August 3, 2011 at 6:47 pm
        Post count: 2580
        #5356


        A camera is handy to have along when stumping. You never know what you might come across. This wasp (tarantula hawk) has captured this young tarantula. They paralyze them, lay their eggs inside and the larvae go from there. Glad there not be big ones flying around. That thing had dragged the tarantula about 75′ when I last checked on it.

      • Robin Conrads
        Admin
          August 3, 2011 at 8:46 pm
          Post count: 916
          #39944

          Wow! That’s pretty amazing. Thanks for sharing.

        • MSARCHER
          Member
            August 3, 2011 at 9:20 pm
            Post count: 93
            #39974

            Man, im glad we aint got those stinking big spiders here in Mississippi, but if we did i’d sure like to have those hawks. Cool pic.

          • skifrk
              August 3, 2011 at 9:58 pm
              Post count: 387
              #39999

              That is a cool pic R2. Once the spider is dead do the larvae hatch out of it?

            • Ralph
              Moderator
              Moderator
                August 3, 2011 at 10:10 pm
                Post count: 2580
                #40010

                The tarantula is paralyzed and taken to the wasps burrow. One egg is laid on the tarantula then it is carefully buried. The egg hatches and the larvae drills a hole and eats the spider from inside out avoiding internal organs until the last in order to keep it alive longer. Ha! Researched this! That’s plenty reason to leave that stuff to the bugs!

              • Bruce Smithhammer
                  August 4, 2011 at 12:13 am
                  Post count: 2514
                  #40132

                  Too cool.

                  “The female tarantula hawk captures, stings, and paralyzes the spider, then either drags her prey back into her own burrow or transports it to a specially prepared nest, where a single egg is laid on the spider’s body, and the entrance is covered. When the wasp larva hatches, it rips a small hole in the spider’s abdomen, then plunges into the spider’s belly and feeds voraciously, avoiding vital organs for as long as possible to keep it fresh. After several weeks, the larva pupates. Finally, the wasp becomes an adult, and tears open the spider’s belly to get out. The wasp emerges from the nest to continue the life cycle….”

                • wildschwein
                    August 4, 2011 at 12:44 am
                    Post count: 581
                    #40165

                    HOLY CRAP!:shock:

                    Man on man do I appreciate our -40*C winters now.

                  • WICanner
                      August 4, 2011 at 2:20 am
                      Post count: 136
                      #40254

                      R2 wrote: The tarantula is paralyzed and taken to the wasps burrow.

                      Whooaa! 75 feet no less? I hope those things don’t nest together. I would hate to disturb a whole nest of those things.

                      I think retiring in the northern US would be fine by me. Never did like the spiders, centipedes, snakes, and scorpions that Dad had to deal with in AZ. I’ll just put another log on the fire and watch it snow up here.

                    • Stephen Graf
                      Moderator
                        August 4, 2011 at 10:36 am
                        Post count: 2429
                        #40612

                        Sounds like an adventure Sigourney Weaver had a few years back on a deep space mission.

                      • Ralph
                        Moderator
                        Moderator
                          August 4, 2011 at 7:00 pm
                          Post count: 2580
                          #41053

                          Yea, tried to get her out to shoot today but you know……………………..:D:D

                        • FUBAR
                          Member
                            August 4, 2011 at 8:01 pm
                            Post count: 252
                            #41115

                            Yikes, what a way to go:shock:

                          • Polar Bear
                              August 4, 2011 at 8:20 pm
                              Post count: 91
                              #41132

                              Just be glad they aren’t big enough to go after us.

                            • William Warren
                              Member
                                August 5, 2011 at 12:34 am
                                Post count: 1384
                                #41367

                                Yeah, there’s a smaller species around here. I’ve seen ’em hauling barn spiders and small caterpillars to their burrows. They climb on top of the caterpillar and take off holding it with their legs. Looks funny. But geez, I’d like to see the hole that thing dug for that tarantula!

                              • SteveMcD
                                Member
                                  August 10, 2011 at 8:00 pm
                                  Post count: 870
                                  #48080

                                  Yup.. everything in Texas, either has fangs, stings, poisonous or both! :shock::lol:

                                • codger
                                  Member
                                    August 16, 2011 at 3:09 pm
                                    Post count: 132
                                    #54484

                                    Its a good thing they arent big enough to use us to plant larvae in. pretty nasty stuff being eaten alive by larvae.

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