Comments

1. Kengi says

   June 21, 2016 at 8:14 am

   Those are great! Especially the scorpion shot. It’s amazing what turns up under a black light. And a tarantula hawk. I never even knew such a thing existed. What a wonderful name.

   Something new to learn about.

2. Saad says

   June 21, 2016 at 8:20 am

   I had to google tarantula wasp.

   It’s going to be rough never going outside anymore.

3. Caine says

   June 21, 2016 at 8:25 am

   Tarantula hawk wasps are relatively docile and rarely sting without provocation. However, the sting—particularly that of P. grossa—is among the most painful of any insect, though the intense pain only lasts about three minutes.[6] One researcher described the pain as “…immediate, excruciating pain that simply shuts down one’s ability to do anything, except, perhaps, scream. Mental discipline simply does not work in these situations.”

   Okay, no. No, no, no. I was surprised to see these critters are in Utah. Good think I didn’t know about them when I lived there.

4. Crimson Clupeidae says

   June 21, 2016 at 12:05 pm

   Welcome to Arizona….. :D

   The scorpion is actually just a smartphone shot. It does really well in low light conditions.

   From the pfft of all knowledge:

   The female tarantula hawk wasp stings and paralyzes a tarantula, then drags the specimen to a specially prepared brooding nest, where a single egg is laid on the spider’s abdomen, and the entrance is covered.[1] Sex of the larvae is determined by fertilization; fertilized eggs produce females while unfertilized eggs produce males.[1] When the wasp larva hatches, it creates a small hole in the spider’s abdomen, then enters and feeds voraciously, avoiding vital organs for as long as possible to keep the spider alive.[1] After several weeks, the larva pupates. Finally, the wasp becomes an adult, and emerges from the spider’s abdomen to continue the life cycle. Adult Tarantula wasps are nectarivorous. The consumption of fermented fruit sometimes intoxicates them to the point that flight becomes difficult. While the wasps tend to be most active in daytime summer months, they tend to avoid high temperatures. The male tarantula hawk does not hunt; instead, it feeds off the flowers of milkweeds, western soapberry trees, or mesquite trees (females feed on these same plants, as well).[2] Male tarantula hawks have been observed practicing a behavior called hill-topping, in which they sit atop tall plants and watch for passing females ready to reproduce.