Wasp killing spider (8 pics) by Grea

Photography • Weird • posted on Mar 11, 2006

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Description

As I did my washing this morning I saw a very large wasp trying to drag a dead huntsman spider up the corrugated iron wall of shed in our back yard. It looked as though it was trying to take it back to the nest, although I couldn't see a nest around. My camera batteries were dead so I charged them and hoped. Two hours later the wasp was STILL trying. I never knew that wasps killed (or ate) spiders! Especially ones larger than themselves. The wasp was so determined. It kept on trying to drag the spider up the wall but it kept on slipping. But it never seemed to be discouraged; it just kept trying. I wasn't sure whether to be inspired or brought down by it. I was inspired by the way the wasp kept on struggling. It didn't feel sorry for itself or get depsressed, it just kept on going. Yet, it's task was futile because it couldn't even drag the spider more than 6 inches up the roughened bottom of the wall, yet there was another 8 feet of smooth wall to go to get to the top! You can only hope that we don't suffer the futility of having (unbeknowns to us) another 8 feet of metaphorical smooth wall to climb as we journey through life! Anyway, finally the wasp dropped the spider's body down a crack at the side of the wall. It tried for a while and then just sat there ... probably either resting or trying to work out how to get its prize out. I can back 1/2 an hour later and the wasp was gone, probably to find its next spider ... This ersatz cartoon I've made of the events are how I saw the wasp's journey.

Comments (10)

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Sivana

9:54PM | Sat, 11 March 2006

Smile a real good cartoon that youve done with these snaps. You made my day!!!

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kimariehere

10:04PM | Sat, 11 March 2006

really clever compo ..i like your bug cartoon adventure!

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mejed

10:08PM | Sat, 11 March 2006

this is great, put a big smile on my face.

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girsempa

10:33PM | Sat, 11 March 2006

What a great idea to do this! Very good, you kept me interested and smiling all the way, and more! Wasps are great hunters! The giant Japanese hornets are known to hunt and kill entire colonies of honey bees, thousands of them!

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Richardphotos

10:40PM | Sat, 11 March 2006

very humorous an excellent photography. there is a green spider that kills bees.wasps, and any other insect that comes close. for the past two years I have had one or two in my garden and it hides on a flower just waiting for a careless insect

Grea

10:42PM | Sat, 11 March 2006

Here is an update from Wikipedia ... the wasp wasn't going to eat the spider - the spider wouldn't be so lucky! "The tarantula hawks seek [female tarantulas] in their burrows. They capture (often following a dramatic battle), sting and paralyze the spider. Next they either drag the spider back into her own burrow or transport their prey to a specially prepared nest where a single egg is laid on the spiders body, and the entrance is covered. The wasp larva, upon hatching, begins to suck the juices from the still-living spider. After the larva grows a bit the spider dies and the larva plunges into the spider's body and feeds voraciously, avoiding vital organs for as long as possible to keep it fresh [EEEEK!!!!!!!]. The adult wasp emerges from the nest to continue the life cycle". The good news is that the spider escaped alive :)

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busi2ness

2:08AM | Sun, 12 March 2006

Excellent cartoon. We need more eager photographers like you to bring all the intricacies of nature to our common knowledge - even if "ugly" according to human perception. Good work!

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