So I had some very creepy happenings take place in my courtyard today. There I am, just minding my own business, when this giant black wasp with blue wings and orangey-yellow antennas starts zooming around. I go in for a better look when the thing lands near me and crawls in to a hole. This wasp is actually digging a burrow. Weird, right? All I could think was "well this was much less creepy on Planet Earth." I watched for a while. After the wasp seemed to get the hole cleared out to its satisfaction, it went walking around. Pretty soon, it found what it was looking for, a giant dead spider. Now the pictures do not do it justice. This spider was about twice the size of the wasp. Well, after the wasp tracked down its kill, it dragged it back to the hole and took it right in. Then it started doing what I can only assume was laying eggs. It would vibrate and then put some dirt in, repeat. Strange. It did this until the spider was covered. Well, with my extensive background in zoology (Plant Earth/Discovery channel) and later confirmation on google, I can tell you that the wasp had stung the spider, thus paralyzing it. It then puts it in the burrow, and buries it with eggs. Then when the little creepy wasp babies hatch, they have an instant meal. This my friends, is the Digger Wasp.
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| First, the wasp dug a nice burrow. Home, sweet, home. |
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| The wasp dragging the spider into the burrow |
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| Night, Night, spider |
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| Lastly, the wasp layed eggs and filled in the hole |
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