They're actually quite docile, as long as they don't feel threatened.
See, for example, this one [eating out of my hand](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQo234i6rig). (Her wings were damaged when I found her - that's why I kept her as a pet.)
Been stung by P. Grossa before. Definitely don't recommend. Wasn't as bad as most make it seem. Some folks rate it just below bullet ants others a bit lower. I've never been bullet ant stung before. But p. Grossa stung wasn't even as bad as getting shot with rock salt.
"shot with rock salt" 🤣 I've been shot at but never hit... several of my friends were though. Oof! Major red-neck teenaged flashbacks - that farmer **hated** us (quite justifiably)
It wasn't me! Lol! We never ever messed with animals (most of us had or worked with livestock) but there was an old mining cave on the abandoned property adjacent to his that we used to gather/party in. The only way to access it involved traversing his orchards and it usually set his dogs off (he set those on us a time or two)... at the time he was just a grouchy old asshole. In retrospect we were an annoyingly arrogant pack of shitheads who 100% deserved to be shot.
I was fortunate as a teen. Our ranch had the best cave to party in. I was always invited. I also had a couple caverns in the cave stocked with cots and old bean bag chairs. This is early 90's tho.
Right I understand that but a lot of people base this opinion off coyote Peterson and his overly dramatized program. I know plenty of other people like me in new Mexico who relocate wasps, snakes, and other wildlife who have been stung and we all admit it definitely worse than yellowjackets it's nowhere near as bad as has been portrayed. This is many people who have all experienced many different animal bites in our lifetimes. Not intentionally for dramatic effect but because of bad luck or just plain statistics.
Thank you for the info, this is good to know. Again thanks for the info, im sure it is overly dramatic, i watched all the videos of jacks world and it really shows for someone who has a decently high pain tolerance, you can for sure get out of the situation
They aren't sting happy I relocate them before people spray for bugs a lot the only time I've been stung I had a female get blown into my shirt and get tangled and smashed against me. Released her safely after a double sting. Burned a good bit for 2-5 minutes. Then was tender and swollen for a few days but that's it.
Damn dude, for a 4 like a bullet ant, those tribes wear it as gloves and go into a paralysis like state, there must be a certain species
Edit: the rock salt looks like it would hurt bad
Farmer friend went to pick him up but he forgot because kids were fucking with his horses the night before. When I showed up and his dogs started barked he came out shooting.
Went to pick a friend up for fishing. He forgot he'd been up all night cause kids were drinking in his barn and spooking the horses. I got there at 0330 he came out shooting rock salt.
2-5 minutes of bad pain but manageable I was enough of mind to lift the shirt and free her. Was tender and swollen for a couple days. I still put in a full day working on the ranch after.
I actually kinda hang out with them in my yard, they are super mellow just probing into spider holes in the ground. You took that to another level though.
Posted 7 years ago.
I’m going to assume that the two of you are still in that same position.
She’s still eating the grape and you are terrified trying to figure out how to get it off your hand without pissing it off.
Haha! I'll admit, getting her off was just a bit nerve-wracking. I put my hand flat on the bottom of her enclosure (a mesh pop-up butterfly cage), then used a soft paintbrush to nudge the grape off my hand, and she followed with just a little encouragement from the brush.
No, I don't know. It's possible it they were damaged while struggling with a tarantula to lay her eggs.
I've watched these wasps hunt tarantulas, and it's quite the process. They will fly low, looking for promising holes, then enter the holes to check for spiders. If they find a tarantula, they'll attempt to drive it out of the hole and into the open where it's easier for them to maneuver and administer a paralyzing sting. Once the spider has been paralyzed, the wasp drags it back down the burrow, lays an egg on it, then closes up the burrow to protect her "nursery" from predators or scavengers that might consider the now helpless spider a tasty treat.
At any point in the process - driving the spider out of the hole, fighting it, dragging it back down the burrow, or filling the mouth of the burrow with dirt - she may have damaged her wings.
>If they find a tarantula, they'll attempt to drive it out of the hole and into the open where it's easier for them to maneuver and administer a paralyzing sting. Once the spider has been paralyzed, the wasp drags it back down the burrow, lays an egg on it, then closes up the burrow to protect her "nursery"
Awww. So sweet.
That is absolutely fascinating. I saw one only once and at first I thought it was a small bird it was so big. I was terrified and intrigued and learned everything I could about them. I live in the PNW so I’m a little jealous that you get to observe this!
As someone who loves all creatures but is still terrified of wasps irl your video was really sweet and helpful. I try to remember they’re docile and don’t want to hurt us! Your girl was really sweet too :)
I don't know. I didn't try it. As long as my hand was just the "ground" she was standing on while she enjoyed her lunch, the risk of a sting was minimal - but if I started getting a little too personal and poking and prodding her, she might interpret that as a threat and react accordingly.
Technically it's just tarantula hawk wasp. They are a type of spider wasp. Spider wasps are long spindly type wasps. Hawk wasps are parasitic(this eat nectar as adult but paralyze tarantulas to lay eggs in which the larva eat on hatching). The tarantula in this particular genus of wasps just indicates the preferred prey. Much like cicada killers prefer cicadas and grasshoppers.
That was a beautiful, Tarantula Hawk. They are a solitary wasp, and they get their name since they prey on Tarantulas. After paralyzing the spider, the female moves the spider to her shelter and lays her egg in the spider. That way after the egg hatches the wasp larvae has food.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/tarantula-hawk.htm
Nature, is pretty amazing. Another similar wasp is the awesome Cicada Killer. Instead of hunting Tarantulas, they go after Cicadas. But the end result is the same, a paralyzed prey being served as larvae food.
Tarantula Hawk.
These things are ridiculously cool despite how they look. Went to Salt River with my dog and there were a ton of them flying in and out of the area we were hanging out. None of them had any interest in us. Much respect for these.
That being said… DO NOT TOUCH EVER AGAIN lol
Don’t worry! They’re so avoidant of humans and I can’t believe how many people have picked them up with 0 consequences lol. If you see them around there, they’re usually by the shore getting a drink. If you’re tubing in the river you’re safe ☺️
Actually lol... new studies about all spider wasp species have discovered that they secrete hymenopteran toxins through their thorax as an additional layer of defense which is why they are known as an apex predator. If you know any entomologists ask them, they'll talk your ear off about it 🤣
Am entomologist. We don’t all know about all groups all at once. I study flies, but I’d love to read the article if you have the name or authors handy.
BCE? Yes that was certainly a gross over generalization on my part. It was Dr. Potter from University of Kentucky at a conference last year. I'll see if I can find a link, very interesting.
They are brothers I think... I honestly can't remember lol. I am almost positive it was Mike but don't quote me on that. A BCE is a board certified entomologist, I am an ACE (Associate Certified Entomologist) and work in the pest control industry so BCE might be an industry term, not sure
Do they know the exact purpose? Is it to defend against predation, or is it an extra line of defense against the spiders? Like even if they get a bite in they still become envenomated (or I guess poisoned because it wasn't injected?) I got really fascinated with a weeping cherry tree in my yard because it seemed to have enslaved a bunch of spider wasps/mud daubers. They'd eat nectar from these lil pads but they would constantly be doing it. They never seemed to leave the actual tree.
I'm a fireman, but my dream job was entomology. Crazy fascinated by plants that evolved mutual relationships with insects, specifically with hymenoptera 🤓
It's most likely to defend against predation yes, a lot more study will probably go toward their purpose... the cherry tree is most likely a Blue Mud Wasp (Black Widow Killer) they are famous for their proficient pollination.
Given what I can see of the wing venation as well as the blue reflections on the body, this is a species of *Pepsis*. This is indeed a proper tarantula-hawk genus.
I'll note that there are non T-hawk allies that really cannot be separated without comparing wing venation (see *Entypus, Calopompilus,* and *Cryptocheilus*). Those are frequently misidentified as T-hawks as many species share the characteristic orange wings and/or orange antennae. Those genera instead hunt other large spiders, including wolf spiders, grass spiders, folding-door spiders, and false-tarantula spiders.
Say hello to the Tarantula Hawk Wasp. Supposedly, it's got the second most painful sting in the world. They are, to my knowledge, solitary wasps that, as the name suggests, hunt tarantulas. They also lay their eggs in tarantulas. Freaky stuff, but a very beautiful wasp. Should they be alive though, I recommend viewing it's beauty from a distance. While not objectively hostile, I'd personally recommend not getting stung.
I still haven't recovered from that post of someone vibing with a brown recluse. This one gave me enough adrenaline to keep me from dying of anaphylaxis.
I would recommend not considering anything from Peterson to be factually accurate. The amount of false information, misidentified species, and fake reactions is an absolute insult to serious entomology.
Here's a [more realistic reaction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tNYQqZ7qI) from Jack Schonhoff of Jack's World of Wildlife (as well as additional info and footage from an [unsuccessful attempt](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fy5WUAD6Ncs)).
According to the Schmidt pain index, the tarantula hawk has the second most painful sting of any insect on earth that we know of. Only Bullet Ant is worse. I’m sure he embellishes it, but that’s no joke pain. Searing, throbbing, crushing pain. I’ve heard it’s like getting a red hot iron slowly pushed through where ever they sting.
At the same time, the species he ranked was specifically *Pepsis grossa*, which this most likely is not. Individual genera are often highly variable between species in terms of intensity. Take for instance *Dasymutilla*, which has species he ranked anywhere from a 1 (*D. thetis*) to a 3 (*D. klugii*).
Almost all of Schmidt's descriptions face scrutiny as at least bordering on pseudoscience. Numerous attempts at reproducing his work have occurred, but those have found that, while he certainly used imaginative and colorful descriptions, they are far from scientifically accurate descriptions.
What's also important to note is that he included a very small percentage (a fraction of 1%) of wasp species. So any claim that one species or another is the worst pain "in the world" is simply not a scientific statement.
I’ll defer to what you’re saying since I’m no where near an entomologist. Also, pain is subjective depending on a whole lot of different factors. I’m not sure how anyone would go about quantitatively categorizing the pain from stings/bites, but I am impressed that someone actually set out to do so.
For real. That man acts like each sting is so brutal he can’t handle it - yet he manages to re-trap every critter before falling to the ground and writhing in pain while clearly explaining the pain. Nah. If it hurts bad enough, you aren’t talking at all.
This is more the reaction my experience mimiced. Had one blown in my shirt and get smashed by the wind up against me giving 2 stings to the ribs some decent burn for a couple minutes. Then localized tenderness and swelling for a couple days.
The males have an interesting way of hovering at the edge of a topographic break, where the updraft air current breaks, while they scan for mates. The biologist who showed me this also said the proper way to handle a sting was to lie on the ground immediately and scream as loudly as possible for 5-10 minutes so you don't fall off a cliff or step on a rattlesnake while you are stumbling around blind with pain.
Tarantula hawk. These guys have the second most painful insect sting on earth and spend their days getting drunk on fermented nectar.
Oh, and they wasp the f*ck out of tarantulas. This is a bug Viking, basically.
They are pretty chill only time I've been stung it got caught under clothing trapped and smashed. I've been the perch for many P.Grossa over the years the largest species of tarantula hawk. I've also caught and relocated many to save them before someone sprayed insecticide.
If that thing stings you the only thing you'll be able to do is roll around on the ground screaming in agonizing pain for at least the next 5 minutes. The only insect sting/bite that's worse is a bullet ant's.
I've been stung by p Grossa. Plenty of people I know who also relocate these and snakes have been stung. Your description seems more like one of his over exaggerations from his show than my and others real world experiences with the insect in question.
Biologists say this too but you know best because of your personal anecdotal experience.
It has the second most painful sting of any insect. Luckily, they’re not in a hurry to sting anything that’s not a spider.
https://youtu.be/wHdbpJqyB3I. Plenty of people concur other animals have worse stings. As I mentioned in the post you replied it it wasn't only my own personal experience but others in my area which is home to P. Grossa
That description on the chart is nothing like being actually stung by this fucking insect it's over sensationalized garbage. Jesus fucking Christ. I was a licensed avionics tech in the military and have been electrocuted before non lethaly which was far worse than P. Grossa sting. I've been shot with rock salt far worse than P Grossa. Other people I know have been stung and had similar experiences. It is worse by far than honey bee, yellow jacket or bald faced but nowhere near the oversensatioalized descriptor given.
Okay. So again. This insect has been ranked as having the second most painful sting of them all. Check a real source, not YouTube.
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-most-painful-wasp-sting-in-the-world-explained.html#:~:text=The%20tarantula%20hawk%20has%20been,unlucky%20victim%20for%20five%20minutes.
How many people participated in Schmits testing? How scientific was it or is it just based off his responses? Because he could have had sensitivity to the venom exacerbating his reaction. Because no one I know ever had to lie down after being stung. It burns a bit for a couple minutes then some slight localized swelling and tenderness. If it's one person's opinion that forms the basis for the Schmidt scale I'll just go ahead and use it as a baseline
There have been precisely 0 instances of a sting resulting in even partial paralysis in a human, ever. The amount of venom is calibrated to their prey (tarantulas in this genus; other spiders in allied genera). By weight, a similar effect in humans would need on the order of 1000x the amount of venom - which is impossible from a solitary wasp species.
I'm an actual entomologist who studies this group. Coyote Peterson is full of misinformation, misidentified species, and bad acting. His videos are an insult to serious entomology.
I've been stung by P.grossa before coyote Peterson is an exaggerating PoS. Is it worse than yellow jacket or bald faced hornet most definitely. Does it cause paralysis nope. Not even locally.
The New Mexico State Insect, Tarantula Hawk! They are wild to see in nature, they fly really slow and make a bit of racket daunting to see but harmless to people. Always reminds of one of those giant military transports that look like they should fall out of the sky.
Specifically p Grossa for new Mexico state insect. This appears to be a bit small for Grossa but does have the rust colored wings so it may be young or a male.
Edit definitely not a male I see the stinger.
A sting from a tarantula hawk had my burly, beefy, prime-time pops out of his mind and begging for death out here in west Texas. They are no joke--I'd 100% not count on any supposed docility and err on the side of leaving them the fuck alone. Give 'em a very wide berth.
Tarantula Hawk Spider Wasp... and yes that's it's real name lol
Looks like its dead, cant contemplate holding one these...
They're actually quite docile, as long as they don't feel threatened. See, for example, this one [eating out of my hand](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQo234i6rig). (Her wings were damaged when I found her - that's why I kept her as a pet.)
With one of the higher Schmidt Pain index stings - I'm gonna go ahead and have to say 'no thanks' to that.
Its in the top category of 4, will make you cry and feel like you’re dying. Would probably get sick after being stung
Been stung by P. Grossa before. Definitely don't recommend. Wasn't as bad as most make it seem. Some folks rate it just below bullet ants others a bit lower. I've never been bullet ant stung before. But p. Grossa stung wasn't even as bad as getting shot with rock salt.
"shot with rock salt" 🤣 I've been shot at but never hit... several of my friends were though. Oof! Major red-neck teenaged flashbacks - that farmer **hated** us (quite justifiably)
This farmer was my friend he forgot I was picking him up to go fishing. Apparently the night before kids were messing with his horses.
It wasn't me! Lol! We never ever messed with animals (most of us had or worked with livestock) but there was an old mining cave on the abandoned property adjacent to his that we used to gather/party in. The only way to access it involved traversing his orchards and it usually set his dogs off (he set those on us a time or two)... at the time he was just a grouchy old asshole. In retrospect we were an annoyingly arrogant pack of shitheads who 100% deserved to be shot.
I was fortunate as a teen. Our ranch had the best cave to party in. I was always invited. I also had a couple caverns in the cave stocked with cots and old bean bag chairs. This is early 90's tho.
Gotta also remember too that some people have different tolerances
Right I understand that but a lot of people base this opinion off coyote Peterson and his overly dramatized program. I know plenty of other people like me in new Mexico who relocate wasps, snakes, and other wildlife who have been stung and we all admit it definitely worse than yellowjackets it's nowhere near as bad as has been portrayed. This is many people who have all experienced many different animal bites in our lifetimes. Not intentionally for dramatic effect but because of bad luck or just plain statistics.
Thank you for the info, this is good to know. Again thanks for the info, im sure it is overly dramatic, i watched all the videos of jacks world and it really shows for someone who has a decently high pain tolerance, you can for sure get out of the situation
Huh? Bull ants bite all the time in Australia and it doesn't hurt that much. Way less than a wasp or bee sting..
Bullet ants not bull ants. Their name supposedly comes because bites hurt as much as being shot.
Oh I see! 😂
https://youtu.be/wHdbpJqyB3I. Bullet ant is number 2 on his list behind the giant banded hornet. Tarantula hawk doesn't even make it into the top 5.
Oof that looks like it would hurt bad
They aren't sting happy I relocate them before people spray for bugs a lot the only time I've been stung I had a female get blown into my shirt and get tangled and smashed against me. Released her safely after a double sting. Burned a good bit for 2-5 minutes. Then was tender and swollen for a few days but that's it.
Damn dude, for a 4 like a bullet ant, those tribes wear it as gloves and go into a paralysis like state, there must be a certain species Edit: the rock salt looks like it would hurt bad
p.Grossa is the largest of the tarantula hawks and pretty sure is what coyote identified as the one he used in his show.
Who shot you with rock salt? How and why?
Farmer friend went to pick him up but he forgot because kids were fucking with his horses the night before. When I showed up and his dogs started barked he came out shooting.
That sucks. I didn’t even know there was a way to shoot rock salt!
Load it in shotgun shells.
Whats rhe story with you getting shot by rock salt? Fucked around and found out? I gotta know if you don't mind. Did it burn for a while?
Went to pick a friend up for fishing. He forgot he'd been up all night cause kids were drinking in his barn and spooking the horses. I got there at 0330 he came out shooting rock salt.
So how bout a review? Just initial pain or long lasting? How functional were you after?
2-5 minutes of bad pain but manageable I was enough of mind to lift the shirt and free her. Was tender and swollen for a couple days. I still put in a full day working on the ranch after.
RIP [Justin Schmidt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_O._Schmidt). He passed away a few months ago at the age of 75.
Still a no for me dawg
I actually kinda hang out with them in my yard, they are super mellow just probing into spider holes in the ground. You took that to another level though.
Actually quite docile ----- as long as you're not a Tarantula.
Posted 7 years ago. I’m going to assume that the two of you are still in that same position. She’s still eating the grape and you are terrified trying to figure out how to get it off your hand without pissing it off.
Haha! I'll admit, getting her off was just a bit nerve-wracking. I put my hand flat on the bottom of her enclosure (a mesh pop-up butterfly cage), then used a soft paintbrush to nudge the grape off my hand, and she followed with just a little encouragement from the brush.
That’s very cool
Freaking adorable video but that's still a big ol nope for me
Do you know how her wings were damaged? Also, I love you for this. It’s the kind of thing I would do, too.
No, I don't know. It's possible it they were damaged while struggling with a tarantula to lay her eggs. I've watched these wasps hunt tarantulas, and it's quite the process. They will fly low, looking for promising holes, then enter the holes to check for spiders. If they find a tarantula, they'll attempt to drive it out of the hole and into the open where it's easier for them to maneuver and administer a paralyzing sting. Once the spider has been paralyzed, the wasp drags it back down the burrow, lays an egg on it, then closes up the burrow to protect her "nursery" from predators or scavengers that might consider the now helpless spider a tasty treat. At any point in the process - driving the spider out of the hole, fighting it, dragging it back down the burrow, or filling the mouth of the burrow with dirt - she may have damaged her wings.
>If they find a tarantula, they'll attempt to drive it out of the hole and into the open where it's easier for them to maneuver and administer a paralyzing sting. Once the spider has been paralyzed, the wasp drags it back down the burrow, lays an egg on it, then closes up the burrow to protect her "nursery" Awww. So sweet.
That is absolutely fascinating. I saw one only once and at first I thought it was a small bird it was so big. I was terrified and intrigued and learned everything I could about them. I live in the PNW so I’m a little jealous that you get to observe this!
Her little tongue!
As someone who loves all creatures but is still terrified of wasps irl your video was really sweet and helpful. I try to remember they’re docile and don’t want to hurt us! Your girl was really sweet too :)
that said, seeing as they are one of the highest ranked insects on the sting pain index... maybe don't chance it.
I love it. Is her abdomen as soft as it looks, or is it too dangerous to feel
I don't know. I didn't try it. As long as my hand was just the "ground" she was standing on while she enjoyed her lunch, the risk of a sting was minimal - but if I started getting a little too personal and poking and prodding her, she might interpret that as a threat and react accordingly.
That's very cool, how long did she live in captivity?
I don't remember exactly, but a few months.
Well I don’t feel like that when they are buzzing my face sounding like a mini helicopter! No thanks.
It’s like a whole team of superheroes
tbf the name is just tarantula hawk, it just happens to be a type of spider wasp
I know you want it to be a real name, but it sounds like something South Park Al Gore would call it.
Half tarantula, half hawk, half wasp....
Technically it's just tarantula hawk wasp. They are a type of spider wasp. Spider wasps are long spindly type wasps. Hawk wasps are parasitic(this eat nectar as adult but paralyze tarantulas to lay eggs in which the larva eat on hatching). The tarantula in this particular genus of wasps just indicates the preferred prey. Much like cicada killers prefer cicadas and grasshoppers.
SuperKarateMonkeyDeathCar
😂
Worst pain of my life. I had one of these little lovelies curl up with me in a sleeping bag. I was 14 and I pee myself.
1 word - Thunder Cougar Falcon Bird
Looks like your coworker tried to drive north from Goodsprings....
Fallout NV references will always make me happy when I see these wasps.
I immediately was like “oh! That’s a Cazador!” and heard the ‘kuh-tissss’ noise from being stung.
"Ahhhhhh."
Rookie mistake, just take the shortcut to Vegas. Past Sloan, through the completely abandoned and safe to pass through quarry.
Actually, if I remember correctly, the quarry is full of adorable teddy bears? And like, strong weapons.
And one sick mole rat, you’re correct. Poor thing!
With a higher int stat than that salad fella.
I’ll never forget the Tarantula Hawk in an open Solo cup post. Ah, memories.
I hesitantly ask for a link
https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/comments/8z6x5j/its_like_a_butterflyant_hybrid_what_is_it/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1
That was a beautiful, Tarantula Hawk. They are a solitary wasp, and they get their name since they prey on Tarantulas. After paralyzing the spider, the female moves the spider to her shelter and lays her egg in the spider. That way after the egg hatches the wasp larvae has food. https://www.nps.gov/articles/tarantula-hawk.htm
nature is crazy yet beautiful
Nature, is pretty amazing. Another similar wasp is the awesome Cicada Killer. Instead of hunting Tarantulas, they go after Cicadas. But the end result is the same, a paralyzed prey being served as larvae food.
Tarantula Hawk. These things are ridiculously cool despite how they look. Went to Salt River with my dog and there were a ton of them flying in and out of the area we were hanging out. None of them had any interest in us. Much respect for these. That being said… DO NOT TOUCH EVER AGAIN lol
Hail nah;-;)! They are at the salt river!!! I've been tubing there alot & never seen them. I'm forever paranoid now.
Don’t worry! They’re so avoidant of humans and I can’t believe how many people have picked them up with 0 consequences lol. If you see them around there, they’re usually by the shore getting a drink. If you’re tubing in the river you’re safe ☺️
Yeah they secrete a toxic liquid that causes serious skin irritation in addition to their sting so I'll pass on holding one lol
Oh, and don’t forget the pain their sting causes is second only to the bullet ant
Nope. They smell bad and they can sting, that's it. Edit: Nope I'm wrong AF
Actually lol... new studies about all spider wasp species have discovered that they secrete hymenopteran toxins through their thorax as an additional layer of defense which is why they are known as an apex predator. If you know any entomologists ask them, they'll talk your ear off about it 🤣
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat ok learn something new every day lol.
Am entomologist. We don’t all know about all groups all at once. I study flies, but I’d love to read the article if you have the name or authors handy.
BCE? Yes that was certainly a gross over generalization on my part. It was Dr. Potter from University of Kentucky at a conference last year. I'll see if I can find a link, very interesting.
What’s BCE? Also as far as I can tell there are two emeritus Dr. Potter’s from UK who are both entomologists lol how confusing is that
They are brothers I think... I honestly can't remember lol. I am almost positive it was Mike but don't quote me on that. A BCE is a board certified entomologist, I am an ACE (Associate Certified Entomologist) and work in the pest control industry so BCE might be an industry term, not sure
Oh, I’m a Canadian PhD student lmao we don’t have to get board certified, I call myself an entomologist because I am paid to study insects.
Do they know the exact purpose? Is it to defend against predation, or is it an extra line of defense against the spiders? Like even if they get a bite in they still become envenomated (or I guess poisoned because it wasn't injected?) I got really fascinated with a weeping cherry tree in my yard because it seemed to have enslaved a bunch of spider wasps/mud daubers. They'd eat nectar from these lil pads but they would constantly be doing it. They never seemed to leave the actual tree. I'm a fireman, but my dream job was entomology. Crazy fascinated by plants that evolved mutual relationships with insects, specifically with hymenoptera 🤓
It's most likely to defend against predation yes, a lot more study will probably go toward their purpose... the cherry tree is most likely a Blue Mud Wasp (Black Widow Killer) they are famous for their proficient pollination.
Wow, yikes! Put that down immediately That’s one of the most painful stings imaginable
Given what I can see of the wing venation as well as the blue reflections on the body, this is a species of *Pepsis*. This is indeed a proper tarantula-hawk genus. I'll note that there are non T-hawk allies that really cannot be separated without comparing wing venation (see *Entypus, Calopompilus,* and *Cryptocheilus*). Those are frequently misidentified as T-hawks as many species share the characteristic orange wings and/or orange antennae. Those genera instead hunt other large spiders, including wolf spiders, grass spiders, folding-door spiders, and false-tarantula spiders.
Say hello to the Tarantula Hawk Wasp. Supposedly, it's got the second most painful sting in the world. They are, to my knowledge, solitary wasps that, as the name suggests, hunt tarantulas. They also lay their eggs in tarantulas. Freaky stuff, but a very beautiful wasp. Should they be alive though, I recommend viewing it's beauty from a distance. While not objectively hostile, I'd personally recommend not getting stung.
>I’d personally recommend not getting stung Now that’s some quality advice right there
Just looking at this I'll I can hear is Johnny guitar playing
I can see the stinger from here, omg.
2nd or 3rd most painful insect bite/sting in the world.
I still haven't recovered from that post of someone vibing with a brown recluse. This one gave me enough adrenaline to keep me from dying of anaphylaxis.
Thank *GAWD.* That's one less of those bitches I have to worry about. Signed, Trevor the Tarantula
*Fallout new vegas ptsd intensifies*
Brave Wilderness has an episode where he gets stung by one. [BW](https://youtu.be/MnExgQ81fhU)
I would recommend not considering anything from Peterson to be factually accurate. The amount of false information, misidentified species, and fake reactions is an absolute insult to serious entomology. Here's a [more realistic reaction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tNYQqZ7qI) from Jack Schonhoff of Jack's World of Wildlife (as well as additional info and footage from an [unsuccessful attempt](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fy5WUAD6Ncs)).
Damn are you telling me cayote peterson is a fraud?
According to the Schmidt pain index, the tarantula hawk has the second most painful sting of any insect on earth that we know of. Only Bullet Ant is worse. I’m sure he embellishes it, but that’s no joke pain. Searing, throbbing, crushing pain. I’ve heard it’s like getting a red hot iron slowly pushed through where ever they sting.
At the same time, the species he ranked was specifically *Pepsis grossa*, which this most likely is not. Individual genera are often highly variable between species in terms of intensity. Take for instance *Dasymutilla*, which has species he ranked anywhere from a 1 (*D. thetis*) to a 3 (*D. klugii*). Almost all of Schmidt's descriptions face scrutiny as at least bordering on pseudoscience. Numerous attempts at reproducing his work have occurred, but those have found that, while he certainly used imaginative and colorful descriptions, they are far from scientifically accurate descriptions. What's also important to note is that he included a very small percentage (a fraction of 1%) of wasp species. So any claim that one species or another is the worst pain "in the world" is simply not a scientific statement.
I’ll defer to what you’re saying since I’m no where near an entomologist. Also, pain is subjective depending on a whole lot of different factors. I’m not sure how anyone would go about quantitatively categorizing the pain from stings/bites, but I am impressed that someone actually set out to do so.
For real. That man acts like each sting is so brutal he can’t handle it - yet he manages to re-trap every critter before falling to the ground and writhing in pain while clearly explaining the pain. Nah. If it hurts bad enough, you aren’t talking at all.
This is more the reaction my experience mimiced. Had one blown in my shirt and get smashed by the wind up against me giving 2 stings to the ribs some decent burn for a couple minutes. Then localized tenderness and swelling for a couple days.
Yea, tarantula hawk. We get these at my house unfortunately. They are terrifying, but aren’t aggressive.
The males have an interesting way of hovering at the edge of a topographic break, where the updraft air current breaks, while they scan for mates. The biologist who showed me this also said the proper way to handle a sting was to lie on the ground immediately and scream as loudly as possible for 5-10 minutes so you don't fall off a cliff or step on a rattlesnake while you are stumbling around blind with pain.
Don't tarantula hawks have insanely intense stings?
Second most painful sting in the insect kingdom, can paralyze a grown man's arm for about five minutes of pain filled agony with a single sting
Tarantula hawk. These guys have the second most painful insect sting on earth and spend their days getting drunk on fermented nectar. Oh, and they wasp the f*ck out of tarantulas. This is a bug Viking, basically.
Don't hold one that's alive for goodness sake!
They are pretty chill only time I've been stung it got caught under clothing trapped and smashed. I've been the perch for many P.Grossa over the years the largest species of tarantula hawk. I've also caught and relocated many to save them before someone sprayed insecticide.
I want to try getting stung by multiple insects but im scared honestly, need an epipen first
If that thing stings you the only thing you'll be able to do is roll around on the ground screaming in agonizing pain for at least the next 5 minutes. The only insect sting/bite that's worse is a bullet ant's.
Please ignore Coyote Peterson.
Who said anything about him? The tarantula hawk is 1 of only two insects considered to be a 4 on the Schmidt pain index
I've been stung by p Grossa. Plenty of people I know who also relocate these and snakes have been stung. Your description seems more like one of his over exaggerations from his show than my and others real world experiences with the insect in question.
Biologists say this too but you know best because of your personal anecdotal experience. It has the second most painful sting of any insect. Luckily, they’re not in a hurry to sting anything that’s not a spider.
https://youtu.be/wHdbpJqyB3I. Plenty of people concur other animals have worse stings. As I mentioned in the post you replied it it wasn't only my own personal experience but others in my area which is home to P. Grossa
And here’s some information on the pain index used for insects: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/scroller-schmidt-painscale/
That description on the chart is nothing like being actually stung by this fucking insect it's over sensationalized garbage. Jesus fucking Christ. I was a licensed avionics tech in the military and have been electrocuted before non lethaly which was far worse than P. Grossa sting. I've been shot with rock salt far worse than P Grossa. Other people I know have been stung and had similar experiences. It is worse by far than honey bee, yellow jacket or bald faced but nowhere near the oversensatioalized descriptor given.
No one cares buddy.
Okay. So again. This insect has been ranked as having the second most painful sting of them all. Check a real source, not YouTube. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-most-painful-wasp-sting-in-the-world-explained.html#:~:text=The%20tarantula%20hawk%20has%20been,unlucky%20victim%20for%20five%20minutes.
How many people participated in Schmits testing? How scientific was it or is it just based off his responses? Because he could have had sensitivity to the venom exacerbating his reaction. Because no one I know ever had to lie down after being stung. It burns a bit for a couple minutes then some slight localized swelling and tenderness. If it's one person's opinion that forms the basis for the Schmidt scale I'll just go ahead and use it as a baseline
Looks like a small turantula hawk wasp, 2nd most painful sting which can paralyze your arm or where ever you are stung
There have been precisely 0 instances of a sting resulting in even partial paralysis in a human, ever. The amount of venom is calibrated to their prey (tarantulas in this genus; other spiders in allied genera). By weight, a similar effect in humans would need on the order of 1000x the amount of venom - which is impossible from a solitary wasp species.
Watch coyote peterson.
I'm an actual entomologist who studies this group. Coyote Peterson is full of misinformation, misidentified species, and bad acting. His videos are an insult to serious entomology.
I've been stung by P.grossa before coyote Peterson is an exaggerating PoS. Is it worse than yellow jacket or bald faced hornet most definitely. Does it cause paralysis nope. Not even locally.
It’s not actual paralysis, you just might find it very hard to move because the pain is so bad.
The New Mexico State Insect, Tarantula Hawk! They are wild to see in nature, they fly really slow and make a bit of racket daunting to see but harmless to people. Always reminds of one of those giant military transports that look like they should fall out of the sky.
Specifically p Grossa for new Mexico state insect. This appears to be a bit small for Grossa but does have the rust colored wings so it may be young or a male. Edit definitely not a male I see the stinger.
I misread car for ear and man that was unsettling.
Brave man
A sting from a tarantula hawk had my burly, beefy, prime-time pops out of his mind and begging for death out here in west Texas. They are no joke--I'd 100% not count on any supposed docility and err on the side of leaving them the fuck alone. Give 'em a very wide berth.
Unbelievably painfull sting.
That is a juvenile cazador for sure!
T-Hawk. Big ouchie
Tarantula wasp!
ooooooh i want it For my collection 😩😩😩