I survived a Pompiloidea attack

It started as a normal evening walk, just fourty-five minutes around the camp and being back for dinner. Nothing special. But when I came back, I had a spectacular sighting: a spider-hunting wasp was sitting on the path with a small baboon spider between her legs. Wow! I usually just see them flying around and searching for prey but never saw a successful hunt. So exciting!!

So I came closer to have a look and to take a nice picture. The closer I came, the more noise the wasp made. A loud “sssss” came out that small body and she seemed to start a moonwalk. She was walking backwards towards me. First, I did not even think that this could be an aggressive behaviour towards me, but quickly I learnt better. When I approached her and kneeled down for some observation and a picture, she became very loud, very energetic and – believe it or not – left her prey and flew torwards me. This thing just attacked me!! And because these wasp are quite big, I left all my stuff where it was and … ran! The wasp soon gave up and returned to her prey. I did the same. I turned to pick up my stuff and, of course, to have another look but as soon as she saw me coming, she started her warning dance again. I just managed to grab my bag and camera when I saw her leaving the ground again. Her black body took off and came closer. My word, she really meant it serious!

Luckily I have been just around our communal kitchen where I found refuge. When I came around, the cook – he obviously saw me from the window, observing something – just looked at me and asked me what I had seen out there and he couldn´t hide a smile when I told him it was a wasp.

Apart from this encounter, I still find them very interesting. These wasps belong to the Pompilidae family and their larvae feed on spiders, the reason for catching them. In some groups the females sting and paralyze their prey and then transport it to a specially constructed nest before laying an egg, in others, the wasp leaves the paralyzed spider in its nest and lay an egg upon it. Either way, the paralyzed spider serves as food for the new generation.

Good night,
Sininho