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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae)
Photo#215007
Wasp Killer
Copyright © 2008 mmbeckey

Wasp Killer
Salisbury, Eastern Shore County, Maryland, USA
August 17, 2008
It may be hard to see...but what kind of (small) spider takes on the business end of a wasp caught in its web? What a brave little bug! I didn't dare get any closer in case the wasp escaped...it was very angry. It had a glob of something greenish-yellowish in its mouth when the spider first seized it, but spit it out when it realized it was in a fight for its life. What do wasps eat?
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Contributed by mmbeckey on 17 August, 2008 - 4:14pm
Last updated 13 September, 2008 - 10:25am

Moved
Moved from Spiders.
… john and jane balaban, 13 September, 2008 - 10:25am login or register to post comments

Combat.
The spider appears to be the American house spider, Achaearanea tepidarioorum (yes, I know the genus name has changed, but I finally learned how to spell the older one!) The wasp is a paper wasp. Paper wasps hunt caterpillars, which they chew to a pulp and take back to the nest to feed the larvae. The adult wasps feed on flower nectar and tree sap oozing from wounds.
… Eric R. Eaton, 17 August, 2008 - 8:19pm login or register to post comments

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