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Pepsis formosa
Black Body, Orange Wings. Up to 2 inches long.
Deserts of Southwest United States.
The female tarantula hawk captures, stings, and paralyzes the spider, then either drags her prey back into her own burrow or transports it to a specially prepared nest, where a single egg is laid on the spider’s abdomen, and the entrance is covered. When the wasp larva hatches, it creates a small hole in the spider's abdomen, then enters and feeds voraciously.
2 Comments
Very, very painful yes, but dangerous only to the tarantula and those who are allergic to the sting.
These can be very dangerous!