Thisbe’s Tarantula-hawk Wasp Images

Thisbe’s Tarantula-hawk Wasp Images, Facts and Information:

Pepsis thisbe

• Thisbe’s Tarantula-hawk Wasps are midnight blue to black, and they have striking orange or amber wings. The color scheme is nature’s “don’t mess with me” signal. Tarantula-hawk Wasps are one of the largest parasitoid wasps.
• Female Tarantula-hawk Wasps sting a tarantula between the legs, paralyzes it, then drags the prey to a specially prepared burrow, where a single egg is laid on the spider’s abdomen, and the burrow entrance is covered. The larva then eats the still-living host.
• Tarantula-hawk Wasps are “nectivorous,” and they have been known to become “flight-challenged” after consuming fermented fruit. Adult Tarantula-hawk Wasps are nectarivorous and feed on flowers of milkweeds, western soapberry trees, or mesquite trees.

I hope you enjoy viewing my Thisbe’s Tarantula-hawk Wasp photos.