Two deadly predators engage in a duel to the death. This battle between spider and wasp often goes unnoticed, but it occurs right under our feet.
A spider and a wasp go at it with one another, and the battle will only end when one of them meets its death.
The wasp is a spider wasp, so named because while its diet consists of nectar, it also hunts and preys on spiders. It is the attacker. The spider is a wolf spider, an efficient killing machine and predator that you would think would have the advantage over its flying nemesis.
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Both of these biting insects are equipped with dangerous attributes that make them feared by humans. The sting of the red spider wasp is incredibly painful. In fact, it is one of the most painful stings in the entire insect world. This stands to reason as its stinger is used as an offensive weapon, and not primarily a defensive deterrent.
The wolf spider, on the other hand, makes its living by hunting other insects. It is a born killer. Its eyesight is superb, it is nimble and very agile, and its speed is unmatched. As a predator, it is extremely effective.
Yet the wasp is determined and relentlessly aggressive. It stings the spider over and over again, ultimately paralyzing the arachnid.
Once it has stunned the spider the truly gruesome part of the battle is about to be enacted. The wasp drags the paralyzed though still alive spider back to its den, where it lays an egg in the spider's abdomen. Soon the egg will hatch and a wasp larvae will devour the living spider from the inside out, like some grotesque alien parasite.
It really is a horror show for the spider. It's enough to make you feel sorry for the eight-legged predator.
The insect world is as horrible and disgusting as any monster movie.
Like what you see here? You can read more great articles by David Smith at his facebook page, Stumpjack Outdoors.
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