February 16, 2011 | lisa@notesfromafrica | 15 Comments

Stung by a wasp

No, thankfully not me, but the unfortunate rain spider below. My roving reporter a.k.a. Willie, came across this when he was out mountain biking on a nearby forestry road the other day. By the time he saw it, the wasp had already killed the spider and was dragging it off.

[The photo was taken with a cellphone camera, hence the low resolution.]

Author:lisa@notesfromafrica

I live on the Southern coast of South Africa, and write about the things that interest, amuse or inspire me. You can find me at https://notesfromafrica.wordpress.com and http://southerncape.wordpress.com (my photoblog)

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Stung by a wasp update →

15 Comments on “Stung by a wasp”

Reply

2summers

February 16, 2011 at 1:40 pm #

That’s one interesting cell phone pic! Well done, Willie.
- Reply
  
  lisa@notesfromafrica
  
  February 16, 2011 at 7:23 pm #
  
  I am amazed that Willie can cycle and still look at what is going on around him.
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Estie

February 16, 2011 at 1:48 pm #

Wow. Great picture.
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  lisa@notesfromafrica
  
  February 16, 2011 at 7:38 pm #
  
  Check out the update on the story which I posted this evening. It explains what is going on in the photo.
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Reggie

February 16, 2011 at 1:50 pm #

I’m sorry, WHAT?

A *wasp* killed a *rain spider*????

I am reeling from the shock… I need a cup of tea to calm the nerves. That is a wasp I hope I shall never meet.

Well done for spotting this, Willie.
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  lisa@notesfromafrica
  
  February 16, 2011 at 7:25 pm #
  
  I’ve discovered that what the wasp does is SO much worse than just killing the spider – see the update on the story which I posted this evening.
Reply

sunshineinlondon

February 16, 2011 at 3:14 pm #

Wow, amazing moment to capture on camera. I’m sure you and Willie notice a lot more than I would – thank you for sharing what you see!
Sunshine
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  lisa@notesfromafrica
  
  February 16, 2011 at 7:37 pm #
  
  Well, we’re both biologists, so have been trained to look out for stuff like that. But since I started the blog, I’ve learned a lot about those areas of biology – like spiders! – that I didn’t know much about.
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Jolene Hanson

February 16, 2011 at 8:03 pm #

Awesome photo! And, I’m relieved that you were not the one stung by a wasp! It is shocking to me that a wasp could take down a spider and drag it away.
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  lisa@notesfromafrica
  
  February 17, 2011 at 6:25 am #
  
  It made me think of that wasp photo you posted a while back. Obviously, not creatures to be messed with! It is amazing to think that the wasp would take on a spider much bigger than itself.
Reply

Kathryn McCullough

February 16, 2011 at 8:23 pm #

Wow, Willie! What a photo! I wish I could train myself to notice these kinds of things! Well done!
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  Willie
  
  February 16, 2011 at 9:57 pm #
  
  Thanks! Not sure what my cycling buddy Geoff was thinking when at the top of a very long hill I suddenly jumped of my bike and starting looking for my old cell phone (that accompanies me on cycling and fishing trips) to take the picture. It was easy to spot the spider being dragged by the wasp in reverse gear, both are bright and larger than normal as insects go (that’s the official version anyway; I was staring at the track as the hill was just carrying on and on…). These wasps are incredibly tough, I once accidentally stepped on one and it just got up, shook itself out and just carried on looking for the next spider.
Reply

Mike

February 18, 2011 at 5:31 pm #

Another photo that is creepy but striking, even using a phone camera.
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  lisa@notesfromafrica
  
  February 18, 2011 at 6:25 pm #
  
  Maybe a good thing it wasn’t such a clear shot? 🙂 Think I’ve featured enough creepy photos for this week.