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#1
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tarantula hawk
Previously a poster had mentioned cicada killers. Coincidently my back
yard became the playground of a tarantula hawk. This is a rather large wasp that successfully drags a tarantula out of their burrow, stings it, and turns it into a paralyzed buffet for its own offspring. It started last weekend when I saw an immobile tarantula on my deck where I had just walked a few minutes before. That seemed a bit curious but I just scooped him up and deposited him into a flowerbed. The tarantula was not stiff and was not obviously dead. Later that evening I was hanging out in the pool and saw a large wasp-looking insect cruising about on the ground in the dim light. I followed it around the edge of half the pool and then it disappeared into the yard. A few minutes later I heard the noise of large insect wings flapping real close to my head and I splashed a bit of water, ducked, then resurfaced. The insect was still near and I splashed some more, spilling most of my gin and tonic in the process :-( The bug was knocked into the pool and turned out to be a large wasp. It was caught in the currents and it soon became obvious that it would be in the skimmer basket in short order. For some reason I took mercy on it and scooped it out and tossed it into the yard. Later that night I saw the reference here about the cicada killer and realized that my visitor was probably a tarantula hawk. The next morning it was buzzing around the deck and I feared for my little Boston Terrier as I had read its sting could make a human ache for over an hour. My pioneer justice was meted out by the wasp and hornet spray but to no avail..........it lived! Tonight I looked out the window and saw the bugger hauling another tarantula across the deck. I then saw the knothole it was using as the entrance to its burrow. Too bad the tarantula was about 4 times too big to go through it. I then went for the latest in tech weapons............the electronic fly swatter. This is a taser for flying insects, 9 volts in and zillion volts out. It would make a fly pop with a puff of smoke and a spark. I also didn't want to spray more death chemicals around. The wasp was quite resilient and took numerous shocks. All the while its stinger was groping for vengeance. I soon realized the shocks were inadequate and I zapped it directly with chemical spray that ended its agony quickly. It was a freakish monster of a wasp that seemed average in size for its species. Apparently the tarantula owed it some money and after refusing to pay the wasp killed it as an example to others. RIP-city p.s. the wasp is somewhat aggressive toward humans and was always folowing the wrong path so I needed to zap it |
#2
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On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 03:27:19 GMT, jOhN
wrote: The wasp was quite resilient and took numerous shocks. All the while its stinger was groping for vengeance. I soon realized the shocks were inadequate and I zapped it directly with chemical spray that ended its agony quickly. Well, I guess that leaves us all with some happy tarantulas! Rusty Mase Austin, Texas |
#3
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Wow..I didn't even know we had tarantula's here..I have big ole wolf spiders
and the wonderful golden garden spider but no tarantulas that I know of..They are cool.. John Bastrop. "Rusty Mase" wrote in message ... On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 03:27:19 GMT, jOhN wrote: The wasp was quite resilient and took numerous shocks. All the while its stinger was groping for vengeance. I soon realized the shocks were inadequate and I zapped it directly with chemical spray that ended its agony quickly. Well, I guess that leaves us all with some happy tarantulas! Rusty Mase Austin, Texas |
#4
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John wrote:
Wow..I didn't even know we had tarantula's here..I have big ole wolf spiders and the wonderful golden garden spider but no tarantulas that I know of..They are cool.. John Bastrop. "Rusty Mase" wrote in message ... On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 03:27:19 GMT, jOhN wrote: The wasp was quite resilient and took numerous shocks. All the while its stinger was groping for vengeance. I soon realized the shocks were inadequate and I zapped it directly with chemical spray that ended its agony quickly. Well, I guess that leaves us all with some happy tarantulas! Rusty Mase Austin, Texas We've seen a few tarantulas over the years but this year the number hit 4 and they've all been comatose. Apparently they were victims of this wasp that couldn't get them into its burrow. As a hunter I eat what I kill so zapping this wasp seemed appropriate in a way. |
#5
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Wow..I didn't even know we had tarantula's here..I have big ole wolf
spiders and the wonderful golden garden spider but no tarantulas that I know of..They are cool.. John Bastrop. It's hard to believe you haven't seen any in Bastrop! I live in Wimberley and remember seeing them on the road all the time. I would notice them walking across the road on the way home to pick up my kiddo from her sitter's. I see them in Wimberley on the road too... but haven't seen any this year, now that you mention it. I've never seen them in the yard. We've seen a few tarantulas over the years but this year the number hit 4 and they've all been comatose. Apparently they were victims of this wasp that couldn't get them into its burrow. As a hunter I eat what I kill so zapping this wasp seemed appropriate in a way. LOL I used to have a tarantuala - they are fascinating creatures. It was a Brazillian tarantuala (name escapes me ATM) and when my brother went into the Marines I took it for him. The only pet I ever had that didn't stink and could be left at home for a week or more with no problems. With hope and heart, Kathleen |
#6
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On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 02:27:04 GMT, jOhN
wrote: .............As a hunter I eat what I kill so zapping this wasp seemed appropriate in a way. Whoa, I do not think I want to get into this one. Rusty Mase Austin, Texas |
#7
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In article ,
jOhN wrote: snipped p.s. the wasp is somewhat aggressive toward humans and was always folowing the wrong path so I needed to zap it You did good. Sorry, but I LIKE spiders and to me at least, the tarantula is far more useful than the wasp as a garden predator! -- Om. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson |
#8
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jOhN wrote:
Previously a poster had mentioned cicada killers. Coincidently my back yard became the playground of a tarantula hawk. This is a rather large wasp that successfully drags a tarantula out of their burrow, stings it, and turns it into a paralyzed buffet for its own offspring. snip Speaking of cicada killers, I just noticed one buzzing around today. From this tamu website it appears it was a stingless male on patrol. http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/HomeHort/F1...cles/AUG22.htm However, as I was standing there watching it fly off a very noisy cicada in the tree right above my head abruptly fell silent. Seconds later I heard something go "thunk" in the area under the tree around my pool equipment but I couldn't find the body. Cicada killers appear to be quite less aggressive than the tarantula hawk from the literature so I'll ignore it. They do look mean though. |
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