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Old 12-03-2008, 10:55 PM
 
32 posts, read 154,754 times
Reputation: 31

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Lately I have run into several tarantula hawks that have suddenly appeared in my housing community, especially near the shrubs in bloom, the water, and the green grass. (Oh, if they just would sprinkle it a little less frequently: Grass looks nice, but it does not belong in the local biome! Zeroscaping would be so much better.)

Anyway, although they are solitary wasps, by now they have formed a large aggregation outisde my front door, and they make every walk to and from the driveway very unpleasant and frightening even for my husband, who is normally not as afraid of insects as I am.

For curiosity, is there anything that professional exterminators can do to get rid of these insects, or will I have to coexist with them forever?

Thanks!
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Old 12-03-2008, 11:14 PM
 
Location: Declezville, CA
16,806 posts, read 39,752,846 times
Reputation: 17678
Ahhh, the legendary Pepsis Wasp. I've been around them all my life, and have encountered them many times, both around the house and in the wild during my years as a wildland firefighter.

The good news: They're even less aggressive than the exceedingly non-aggressive, mind-their-own-business Mud Dauber Wasp. I've always been able to work alongside them with no problems. They act as if I'm not there. Can't say the same for the Southwestern Yellow Jacket or the Africanized Bee.

The bad news: Are you aware of their pain reputation? They're off the scale in that department.

I don't mean to scare you, but it's something you should be aware of.
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Old 12-03-2008, 11:18 PM
 
Location: Tucson
42,831 posts, read 87,908,270 times
Reputation: 22814
Quote:
Originally Posted by Julia_Italy View Post
Lately I have run into several tarantula hawks that have suddenly appeared in my housing community, especially near the shrubs in bloom, the water, and the green grass. (Oh, if they just would sprinkle it a little less frequently: Grass looks nice, but it does not belong in the local biome! Zeroscaping would be so much better.)

Anyway, although they are solitary wasps, by now they have formed a large aggregation outisde my front door, and they make every walk to and from the driveway very unpleasant and frightening even for my husband, who is normally not as afraid of insects as I am.

For curiosity, is there anything that professional exterminators can do to get rid of these insects, or will I have to coexist with them forever?

Thanks!
They must be in season. There's been one in the backyard of my office for a while and we have only mesquite trees and no grass at all. They look harmless to me and don't bother me one bit.
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Old 12-04-2008, 12:28 AM
 
32 posts, read 154,754 times
Reputation: 31
I understand that they may not bother some of you, but I am still concerned.

Also, I have read that, although they are solitary insects, and in spite of the fact that they are not very aggressive, they can still form defensive aggregations, and God knows what they may perceive as a threat! I have heard of people getting stung by such a wasp simply because they walked too close to its burrow!

Quote:
They act as if I'm not there
No, in our community they actually seem to fly right at people, especially when we walk on the trails. The other day one kept "chasing" my husband, who was terrorized, and even started running!

So, are you all trying to tell me that there is nothing a professional exterminator can / will do to get rid of these insects?
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Old 12-04-2008, 12:30 AM
 
32 posts, read 154,754 times
Reputation: 31
Quote:
Originally Posted by sierraAZ View Post
They must be in season. There's been one in the backyard of my office for a while and we have only mesquite trees and no grass at all. They look harmless to me and don't bother me one bit.
Then I was wrong about the grass!
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Old 12-04-2008, 05:30 PM
 
643 posts, read 2,045,021 times
Reputation: 336



I remember being at a part in Southern CA and watching my mother stand on a park bench while straining to look at one of these things on the ground near a tree. She stood up there for about ten minutes, watching this thing clean its antennae. Everyone else walked by and saw only her standing on the table and thinking she was a basket case (which isn't too far from the truth).

A ranger told us what it was. Do they really kill tarantulas?
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Old 12-04-2008, 05:42 PM
 
Location: Declezville, CA
16,806 posts, read 39,752,846 times
Reputation: 17678
IIRC, they paralyze them with their sting, take them back to the nest, lay eggs in or on them, then disappear. The hatchlings then have a fresh, live source of food to suck dry.

What a way to die.
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Old 12-04-2008, 10:37 PM
 
Location: Spring Branch, Tx
514 posts, read 1,434,298 times
Reputation: 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by JillBoBill View Post


I remember being at a part in Southern CA and watching my mother stand on a park bench while straining to look at one of these things on the ground near a tree. She stood up there for about ten minutes, watching this thing clean its antennae. Everyone else walked by and saw only her standing on the table and thinking she was a basket case (which isn't too far from the truth).

A ranger told us what it was. Do they really kill tarantulas?
Yuck.I never saw one in the 40 years,I lived in Cali and hope to never see one here In AZ
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Old 04-22-2009, 12:37 AM
 
Location: Queen Creek
1 posts, read 15,255 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clnconcpts View Post
Yuck.I never saw one in the 40 years,I lived in Cali and hope to never see one here In AZ
Hi I live in Queen Creek, About 40 miles Southwest of Phoenix. Walked outside tonight onto my back porch and herd this loud flying noise. I quickly closed the door and turned on the light to see the scary old booger flying around my porch. Yes the Tarantula Hawk lives in AZ too. Its huge and from what I read has the second most painful insect sting in the world.
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Old 04-22-2009, 02:39 PM
 
Location: Brookfield, Illinois
288 posts, read 848,433 times
Reputation: 127
Personally, I've been against the wasps and for the tarantulas ever since I saw one dragging a baby tarantula back to its burrow, at the base of the Santa Ritas in the mid-90s . . . an area that has been paved over by now.
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