Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-06-19
THE MEXICAN WASP.
A Gigantic Insect Known a. "the
Tarantula Killer"
Astonishing Allegations Concerning Its
Habits-How 1t Attacks and Paralyzes =
the Ugly Spiders-Enects OF Its
Sting on . Groaser.

Sting = Grsaser.
"The cheerful Mexican wasp isn't solely
Mexican product" said New Yorker
who has travelled bit himself to Sun re-
porter. "You'll find that remarkable in
sect wherever there are tarantulas, for it
seems to owe the perpetuation Of its kind
to the presence of that king of spiders.
In fact, it is known by the name of 'taran-
tula killer in Texas and other parts where
the big spider has its habitat.
''It flies up leisurely, its reddish-brown
wings spread to their full three-inch
sweep, and contrasting strikingly with its
dead-black legs and body. The hiding Of
the tarantula in his den does not worry the
wasp bit. 1t lights at the trap door and
has it open as quickly ~ the tarantula can
open it himself, and walks straightway In.
The big hairy, deadly spider has no terrors
for the wasp. The quality Of the wasp's
sting Is shown in startling way by its
eject on the tarantula, for, In Eve seconds
after the killer has entered the spiders
den, the tarantula has succumbed TO the
thrusts OF the sting, and is dragged out by
the wasp as butcher would drag O dead
pig out Of the pen.
"But the strange part Of the quick knock
ing out Of the spider by the wasp Is that
while the former will never enjoy the
pleasures OF life again, he Is not dead. The
poison the wasp injects into the tarantula
does not kill him, but throws him into q
trance from which he viii never awaken.
The tarantula is actually embalmed alive,
and If the subsequent processes the wasp
has in store for him prove abortive In their
working, as they sometimes do, the taran-
tula will remain in that dead and alive con-
dition ever afterward.
Sometimes 1t happens to suit the taran-
tula-killer, when it does up the spider in the
latters den, to leave him there to carry out
the rest OF the programme, but usually 1t
drags the tarantula to some other part of
the country, frequently a mile distant, al
though the spider Is many times the wasp 8
bulk and weight. When the big WASH has
dragged the spider to the spot it has Sc
lected, it punctures its victims body at the
base Of one of Its hind legs, and lays an egg
deep In the opening. The wasp then digs q
hole In the ground and buries the taran-
tula- Sometimes it hides the spider in q
cleft in the rocks, and plasters the opening
shut with mud. When the egg Is hatched
inside the spider the result is most vora-
clous grub. which at once begins to eat its
way out Of its store-house II il as IL the
spider had been kept on ice, nice and fresh
- 49,
greedy larva devours every thing to the
right and left Of 1t, and all that Is ahead of
it, and when it energies from the taran-
tula's head there is nothing left of the
spider but its hideous hairy shell. The
grub digs itself out of the SPIDERS grave,
and in time becomes itself q tarantula-
killer, and does the same act for future
supply of wasps that was done for it.
Once In great while the wasp's egg
will not hatch, but that doesn't change the
condition Of the tarantula. saw q taran-
tula in Texas that was found in q mud
plastered crack in rock five years ago. A
wasp had deposited its egg in the spiders
body, but IL had been abortiye. It is not
known how long the tarantuia had lain In
its trance when it was discovered, but when
saw it there were no more signs Of death or
decay about it than there are about sleep
ing dog or cat. It was full and plump, it's
legs timber and flexible and its eyes bright.
All the elements of life were present, ap-
parently, and yet the spider was as prac-
tically dead as the proverbial door-nail.
'The tourist who described the Mexican
wasp said it was pugnacious, and always
looking for achance to assume the offensive
/ think he is wrong about that. for
if the nature of this wasp was
such there would be no 4iyinR in
the regions where it makes its home. As
far as could learn and observe in Southern
Texas, the wasp's temper is good, and It
never shows any inclination to resent the
presence OF man except when 1t has an
embalmed tarantula In tow. Then IL will
show its displeasure il it is approached too
closely, and will make frantic dashes at any
intruder, opening its red wings as it ex-
hibits its signs of anger, as If as q warning.
sThese wasps have desperate and deadly
fights among themselves during the season
they are paralyzing tarantulas and deposit
ing their eggs in them. II wasp that has
not succeeded In capturing q tarantula
happens to strike the trail of another WASH
who has secured victim, the unsuccessful
wasp will follow the trail like a hound ON =
deer track. The unencumbered wasn win
soon overtake the one dragging its burden
OF spider, and fight for possession Of the
tarantula At once ensues. Sometimes both
wasps will be killed To the battle, and it
sometimes happens that q third wasn
which has also followed the trail, will come
up and walk on with the tarantula. while
the others are fighting for 1t. II the original
captor Of the tarantula has deposited its
egg and buried its victim before a wasn
who may follow the trail arrives ON the
scene, the latter at once proceeds To drao
the spider out Of its grave. This done. the
robber wasp deposits her egg also and
gives the spider new interment. An old
Texan told me that he saw tarsntula dug
up and buried by four different wasus IN
the course of one afternoon. But usually
tarantulas are numerous enough to supply
the wasps with their own victims.
These tarantula killers live on elder
flowers, the bloom of the wild Virginia
creeper, and similar flowers I counted
one hundred of the tremendous insects ON
one clump of elder flowers one day, and
you may always be sure Of seeing them in
any OF the Southern regions where elder
or Virginia creeper abound. The taraptuIa
killer is good two inches and half lono-
and he is as handsome as he Is terrible.