# Tarantula Hawk wasp friendly or foe?



## dkdusey (Apr 3, 2014)

My Winter Grounds in AZ has some Strange new visitors. the Tarantula Hawk wasp. after reading about them, apparently they have the most painful Sting of any insect in North America. Luckily they are very docile. but I have seen around a Dozen of them around my Hives. they even go in for Honey. they are great pollinators and they feed off of Nectar, etc.... these things are tough as tanks!! the Bees act as if they are nothing at all. don't even pay attention to them. but I am wondering if I need to address their visits to my Hives???? 
anyone out there with more experience? They are very beautiful interesting insects. 

thanks
Dustin


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Unless they are robbing your hive by the hundreds, I would not worry especially since the bees don't. would A robber screen deter them?


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## dkdusey (Apr 3, 2014)

I will find out.


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## Flyer Jim (Apr 22, 2004)

dkdusey said:


> apparently they have the most painful Sting of any insect in North America.


That 's a fact.Trust me on that one.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

They go purely after spiders. They are really docile compared to yellow jackets, they have no interest in going after humans at all, infact, you are more likely to get stung by an aggressive bee than a tarantula wasp.

Now, we used to have tons of them on the lawn looking for spiders and I could imagine if one was to step on them it wouldn't feel to good!!!


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

Oh, that's what I've got. I've never been stung by one, in spite of getting in their face with a camera, or watching them drag some hapless spider away to the sort of lingering death that gave us the _Aliens_ movies.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

We found some of these flying around in the dessert a couple of years ago. my son and I caught one in a jar. Later we looked it up. read the most painful sting thing. 1/4 inch long stinger. etc. and sort of looked at each other wide eyed. It is now mounted in a nice little box. Things are huge. Not a thing about them that is aggressive. Not to people anyway.


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

There are many around here. I watched one jam a tarantula, paralized by that venom, back down its own hole. Eggs are laid on or in the still living spider and the wasp larvae feast and hatch out of the spider burrow. They can kick a big tarantulas butt. I think they must be pretty badass. They have no interest in bees. And they ignore people.But they may eat honey, I dont know.


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## Seven Hills (Apr 7, 2011)

I have lots of them and they are beautiful. Never been stung or really even been paid attention to


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