HEARTWOOD CHAPTER

I witnessed a wasp attacking a spider today.

Conroe, Texas
Hardwood forest edge
Pollinator garden approx. 30 feet away
90 degrees, sunny, no wind
Light afternoon thunderstorms past 2 days
July 28, 2010; 5:30 p.m.

The spider was on the wood deck just outside of our glass patio door. The wasp flew down and landed on the spider. Like a western movie film, they wrestled and tumbled. Within 10 seconds the spider was on its back and paralyzed. The legs would barely twitch.

One of our cats jumped to the deck and the wasp flew away. I ran for my camera. The wasp did come back and I was able to get these photos. The wasp would walk about 2 feet away and circle back; it looked as if it was touching the leg to make certain the spider was not able to move; then, it would go about 4 inches away and raise and lower it's wings. It repeated this behaviour for about 8 minutes. The mosquitos got too thick for me to stand it. I had to go back indoors.

I watched the wasp do this same ritual movement for another 10 minutes. I had to leave to do something upstairs. When I came back after 15 minutes, the wasp and the spider were gone.

Could the wasp lift the spider? It looked like a large spider to me. Was the spider killed for food? Was the spider only temporarily paralyzed? Was the wasp actually laying eggs and not after food?

Can anyone identify the species or the behaviour from the photos? Add your Comment.

Photos