Spider Wasp

The Spider Wasp, A.K.A. as Ninja Wasp on Youtube, has become famous for it’s amazing fighting skills. As you watch it approach a huge spider you’re for sure the spider will walk away as the winner.

But guess again.

With determination, these wasp many times walk away with their trophy 3x their size.

You can watch that in action here:

Scientific Name: Family Pompilidae

Also known as the Spider Wasp, they are notorious for their fierceness towards spiders. Many in which (among the species) differ in their approach towards humans (mostly passive).

Do they sting?

These wasp hardly ever break the skin when trying to sting a human (if they try that is). But there is a species among this family that really packs a punch. Spider Wasps of the genus Pepsis, also known as tarantula hawks, have a sting rating of 4 (according to the Schmidt sting pain index). Which is close to the pain of a Bullet Ant sting.

How They Feed The Larvae

Spider wasps are solitary wasps that use a single spider as a source for feeding their larvae. They paralyze the spider with a venomous stinger. Once stunned and paralyzed, the spider is dragged to where the hole (nest) has been built.

Are Spider Wasp Considered Pest?

We rate the Spider Wasp as a non-pest. They cause no harm to humans, neither do they infest homes, or transmit diseases. Only the Tarantula Hawk can really cause damage, but among the majority in the Pompilidae family, the Spider Wasp are harmless.

Taxonomy
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Suborder:	Apocrita
Superfamily:	Vespoidea
Family:	Pompilidae

Taxonomy

Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Arthropoda

Class:

Insecta

Order:

Hymenoptera

Suborder:

Apocrita

Superfamily:

Vespoidea

Family:

Pompilidae

External Sources:

Are spiders insects?

spider

It’s a question people automatically say yes to, but if as they look a the differences, soon they realize that in fact spiders are not insects.

Here are some differences between the two to help you understand:

1. The count of legs

2. The type of body (such as exoskeleton)

3. How many body parts they have

4. Insects have antennae. Spiders don’t.

5. Spiders have no wings.

Here’s how the Bug Squad separates the two from insect and spider:

Insects have a head, thorax and abdomen, and the thorax has three pairs of legs. They also eyes, antennae and mouthparts, the Explorit Science Center website points out. “The entire body is protected by a tough outer covering called an exoskeleton. Animals that share these characteristics are called insects. The group to which they belong is called the Insecta.”

Spiders, as the Explorit Science Center explains, have two main body parts. “The body consists of a combined head and thorax called the cephalothorax, and the abdomen. The cephalothorax has the eyes, mouthparts (no antennae) and four pairs of legs. Animals that share these characteristics include ticks, mites, scorpions and spiders. The group is called the Arachnida.”

Here’s the two by definition.

arachnid

[uh-rak-nid]

noun

any wingless, carnivorous arthropod of the class Arachnida, including spiders, scorpions, mites,ticks, and daddy-longlegs, having a body divided into two parts, the cephalothorax and the abdomen, and having eight appendages and no antennae.

And then….

insect

[in-sekt]

noun

any animal of the class Insecta, comprising small,air-breathing arthropods having the body divided into three parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), and having three pairs of legs and usually two pairs of wings.

2. any small arthropod, such as a spider, tick, or centipede, having a superficial, general similarity to the insects.

3. a contemptible or unimportant person.

adjective

4. of, pertaining to, like, or used for or against insects:

an insect bite; insect powder.

spiders

Spider Wasp: The “Ninja Wasp”

Spider Wasp

Do they sting?

How They Feed The Larvae

Are Spider Wasp Considered Pest?