Emporer moth

Emporer moth
By Peter Byles

Sunday, 21 June 2015

Spider-hunting wasp

 Spider-hunting Wasp

This wasp dragged this paralysed Funnel-web Spider through a dense jungle of thrift and grasses for several yards. Often it would buzz it's wings as it moved backwards. It obviously knew exactly where it was going. It dumped the body at the mouth of a small hole going into the bank.Then off it went, probably to find another victim or a mate. Presumably this was a female wasp, Would she already have mated? The burrow would obviously have been prepared before the spider hunt. This fat spider was heavier than the wasp and could not have been carried by air, so the location of the burrow must not be too far from the home of the prey. Just what goes on would be a fascinating thing for someone to study.How many paralysed Spiders in a burrow?  How many eggs injected into each Spider?


Peter Byles (Ceibwr Bay).



No comments:

Post a Comment