Spider Wasp (it's not only found in Australia)

sallyanne · **Posted:** Fri Feb 26, 2016 3:21 am **(#1)**

Video from : www.youtube.com

Saw one of these wasps this morning. They are huge!

lylejk · **Joined:** Sep 24, 2010 **Posts:** 12845

Better to have them down under than here, Sallyanne.

sallyanne · **Posted:** Fri Feb 26, 2016 9:06 am **(#3)**

lylejk wrote:

Better to have them down under than here, Sallyanne.

The U.S. state of New Mexico chose the tarantula hawk in 1989 to become its official state insect. Its selection was prompted by a group of elementary school children from Edgewood doing research on states that had adopted state insects. They selected three insects as candidates and mailed ballots to all schools for a statewide election. The winner was the tarantula hawk wasp (specifically, P. formosa).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula ... New_Mexico

Video from : www.youtube.com

Kimba · **Posted:** Fri Feb 26, 2016 1:37 pm **(#4)**

Touche Sallyanne. I'd seen them but didn't know what they were called.

Oregonian · **Posted:** Sat Feb 27, 2016 6:56 pm **(#5)**

We have mud daubers. They rarely sting, but they make nests of mud and catch spiders to feed their young when the young hatch.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_dauber

sallyanne · **Posted:** Sun Feb 28, 2016 12:50 am **(#6)**

Eek!

Thankfully most spider wasps don't look for humans to sting unless they get in the way of them and their prey.
That one looks pretty...But pretty usually means stay away!