A Spiders Worst Nightmare- The Tarantula Hawk

A fear of insects is relatively common among people, but for some spiders, stings really can be a matter of life or death. One wasp in particular makes even the biggest, hairiest spider run away in terror: the tarantula hawk.

Despite their name, tarantula hawks are actually a species of spider wasp.

They are named after their habit of hunting tarantulas, which are often considerably larger than themselves - but these wasps do so with little risk to their own lives.

The spiders will usually try to flee or avoid them at all costs.'

Adult tarantula hawks get their nutrition from nectar, but only the females will battle spiders to provide food for their offspring.
They pierce the tarantula with a sharp, curved sting, rapidly injecting venom that permanently paralyses but keeps its hairy adversary alive.

The incapacitated spider is either held captive in its own burrow or dragged to the wasp's nest. The female then lays a single egg on the spider's body.

When the egg hatches, the larva burrows its way inside the spider's abdomen and begins feasting on the still-living tarantula.

It begins by feeding on the spider’s blood - before gorging itself on the tissue.

Eventually the offspring emerges from the spider as an adult tarantula hawk.