What does a tarantula hawk eat daily?
A spider wasp is known as a tarantula hawk.There are many hawks in the genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis.A single egg is laid on the prey, hatching to a larva which eats the still-living prey.
Common species are among the largest of was and have blue-black bodies and bright, rust-colored wings.The wasp's ability to deliver a powerful sting is shown by the vivid colors on their bodies and wings.Their long legs are used for grappling.There is a female Pepsis grossa that can be up to.mw-parser-output.It was [1][2].
The female wasp sting a tarantula between the legs, paralyzes it, then drags the prey to a specially prepared burrow, where a single egg is laid on the spider's abdomen, and the burrow entrance is covered.Females and males are produced by fertilized eggs and unfertilized eggs.When the wasp is born, it creates a small hole in the spider's abdomen and feeds on it, avoiding vital organs for as long as possible.The pupates after several weeks.The wasp emerges from the spider's abdomen to continue its life cycle.
There are adult tarantula hawks.Flight becomes difficult when the consumption of fruit intoxicates them.In the summer, the wasp tend to avoid high temperatures, while they are most active in the daytime.The male hawk does not hunt.Both males and females feed on flowers of trees.Male tarantula hawks have been observed practicing a behavior called hill-topping, in which they sit atop tall plants and watch for females ready to reproduce.The males can defend the favorable reproduction spots for hours into the afternoon.Females are hesitant to sting, but the sting is very painful.[2]
Areas from India to Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, and the Americas are included in the distribution of tarantula hawks.There are at least 250 species of tarantula hawk in South America and they can be seen from as far north as Utah and south as Argentina.The deserts of the southwestern United States are home to 18 different species of Pepsis and three different types of Hemipepsis.The majority of P. grossa have metallic blue bodies, which makes it difficult to distinguish the two species.Both species have transparent orange wings.
The wasp rarely sting without provocation.The sting of P. grossa is among the most painful of all insects.One researcher described the pain as "immediate, excruciating, relentless pain that shuts down one's ability to do anything except scream."Mental discipline doesn't work in these situations.The wasp's sting is ranked near the top of the sting pain index, second only to the bullet ant, and is described as "blinding, fierce and shocking electric".One of the few animals that can eat them is the roadrunner.Many predatory animals avoid these was, and many different insects mimic them.
The sting is not dangerous and does not require medical attention.Local redness lasts for up to a week in most cases.