Tarantula hawk moth, what will kill it?

9 years ago

I found a tarantula hawk moth in my carport, dead. This was about a week after hubby had spotted a tarantula in carport. We have no idea if the tarantula is a resident of our yard. But, after reading on DesertUSA about the tarantula hawk moth, I wonder what would kill it, since the article said they kill tarantulas. I'm also concerned as same article said the sting of tarantula hawk moth is very painful. If this one killed our tarantula, she would have embedded her egg into the tarantula. That's the part that I don't like. Our rear yard is mostly dirt, and we feed a lot of birds. I would like to feel safe from this moth if I'm out watching our birds. We live in Arizona. Tia

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Comments (5)

larry_gene
9 years ago
Not sure why these are being called moths, a somewhat more common term is tarantula hawk wasp (Adult moths do not sting, I do not know of any that would lay parasitic eggs in other insects).

That's going to be a tough one to kill, as they are solitary wasps and do not form hives or nests, except for their individual nest that would be hard to find. They are said to not be aggressive towards people. Stay calm if possible, be ignored by the wasp.

Certain pest sprays would work, but there is the chance of spraying yourself during close battle!
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Original Author
9 years ago
thanks for your reply larry. the article I read clearly stated that the moths kill tarantulas and embed an egg. It was on DesertUSA. sorry, not sure if it's .org or .com. I haven't seen one, other than the dead one. Just curious about them, as this is the first time I've seen one. 28 years in the Sonoran desert and there are still all kinds of things to learn. Most interesting place to live! Thanks for your interest.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
Carol....you're confused. There are hawk moths AND there are tarantula hawk wasps. They are two completely different things.

Have you found a dead moth or a dead wasp?

The female wasp paralyzes the spider, drags it to her underground chamber, and lays the egg then. Many of our solitary wasps and some of our communal wasps do the same thing.

Hawk moths are the Sphinx moths, the larvae of which are a hornworm of some kind.

I found the article on line. It's about the wasp......no moths mentioned.

This post was edited by rhizo_1 on Mon, Aug 4, 14 at 23:49
larry_gene
9 years ago
Some pseudo-reputable (yahoo answers, etc.) are repeating the term Tarantula hawk moth, it is one of those Internet things, perhaps first coined by the fantasy animations monster vs. monster computer crowd.

And those evil moths tend to get the short end of things:)
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Original Author
9 years ago
I simply used the term that was in the article I read, with photo. That is how it was identified. Whether it is a moth or wasp makes no difference to me. I was just trying to find out what killed it. Now, I assume the tarantula won. I hope. After doing a little more research, I watched a video, almost 7 minutes long, of the battle between tarantula hawk, and tarantula. I read that they don't *usually* sting humans. To my great relief. And, I know that what I found here at my home is correctly identified. I have him (or her) in a glass jar, and used magnifier. Thanks for your thoughts.