Spiders Or Wasps?
Did you know that many wasps hunt spiders? Those wasp in the mud dauber family are very efficient at hunting and subduing spiders. There is a mud dauber that is metallic blue/black and she is very prey specific. She hunts black widow spiders and is quite efficient at her job.
The black and yellow mud dauber wasp is more of generalist and she will hunt many types of spiders. There is a long list of mud dauber wasps that are beneficial to homeowners.
Spider Wasps – Will They Sting?
Yes, they will sting you, but you have really go out of your way to be stung by a spider wasp. These are not social wasps as are Yellowjackets and hornets. Instead, these are solitary wasp. They are a hive of one. As such, they are not very aggressive. If you picked one up it would sting you. If you were messing around with it, it might sting you.
These wasps are not like yellowjackets, paper wasps, hornet, or even honey bees. They pretty much mind their own business and a go about their day hunting spiders. You may see them drinking nectar from flowers or around a muddy area. They collect balls of mud to make their homes. It is in those mud chambers that they stuff the spiders that they paralyze. In each chamber they lay a single egg and the spiders will be the food that feeds her young after she is gone.
Spiders Or Wasps?
Not all wasps are terrors and some of the spider wasps are big enough to take on and subdue even large tarantula spiders. These wasps look like trouble, but they are very efficient hunters of spiders such as black widows.
To learn more about beneficial insects and the jobs they do, reach out to our team. If you’d like more information about how to manage spiders and wasps around your home, we are your Bryan and College Station pest experts. Just give us a call and we can help identify and control the pests that pester you.
