Trivia question for Apr-23-2011

Olivia and her bugs… here is what she picked out for today:  This bug attacks and paralyzes an adult tarantula before laying eggs on it; the larvae slowly feed on the spider, eventually killing it.

Up to two inches long with a blue-black body and bright rust-colored wings, these bugs are among the largest of of their species. The coloring on their wings warns potential predators that they are dangerous. Their long legs have hooked claws for grappling with their victims. The stinger of a female can be up to 1/3 inch long, and delivers a sting which is rated among the most painful in the insect world.

So here are Olivia’s questions:  Tell us what this insect is and tell us where-else these guys like to lay their eggs?  Also, these guys have few predators, tell us what occasionally preys on these insects?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations for our Twitter follower Sabina from Brazil for getting at least part of the trivia answered correctly.  The crafty insect we featured is the Tarantula Hawk Wasp and besides laying their eggs on the backs of Tarantula, these guys also sometimes seek out the corpse of other spiders which are being transported to a burrow by other species of wasps.  These larva end up eating not only the spider, but also the other wasps larva themselves.

As for predators, understandably there are few but occasionally birds, reptiles, and even the Assassin Fly will feast on these huge bugs.  Here is more on these ferocious wasps: Tarantula Hawk Wasp

Thanks for playing long 😉