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Spider wasps

Spider wasps
Updated Read time
29/07/22 2 minutes

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 Fast Facts

 Classification

Family Pompilidae
Super Family Vespoidea
Suborder Apocrita
Order Hymenoptera
Class Insecta
Subphylum Uniramia
Phylum Arthopoda
Kingdom Animalia

Size Range
 5 mm - 35 mm long

Introduction
Spider wasps (family Pompilidae)
are solitary wasps. They prey on
spiders to feed their larvae or
they parasitise other spider
wasps. They do not form colonies
to defend nests and are not
aggressive.

Identification
Spider wasps are active in gardens
during summer months. The
spider wasp most commonly
encountered is Cryptocheilus
bicolor. This is a very large black
wasp with orange wings and legs
and a broad orange band around
its abdomen. It holds its wings up
when resting but flicks them when
it hops and runs about on its long
legs.

Habitat
Spider wasps live in urban areas,
forests and woodlands, wetlands,
heath.

Distribution
Spider wasps are found
throughout Australia.

Satellite View

Feeding and diet

Spider wasps are often seen
digging in soft sandy soil, dragging
huntsman spiders along. Some
species are known to bite off the
legs of large hairy spiders,
trimming them to make them
easier to handle. Others have
scales that help them walk on
spiders' webs, allowing them to
sneak up and attack the owner.

Other behaviours and

adaptations
Spider wasps have a habit of
flicking their wings on landing and
moving with a jumping motion.
The wasp does this when
searching for a spider in bark,
cracks, crevices or soil.

Life history cycle

The spider wasps you are most
likely to see and hear are female
wasps preparing nest chambers
for their larvae. They dig a burrow
using long spines on their front
legs, then search rapidly around
tree trunks and on the ground for
a spider. On finding the spider,
which may be as large as a
huntsman or funnel-web and
twice as heavy as itself, the wasp
stings and paralyses it, and then
drags or flies it back to the
burrow. She then lays an egg on
the spider's body, and seals it in a
chamber or cell at the end of the
burrow. The larva hatches and
feeds on the body of the spider
before pupating in a thin silky
cocoon in the cell.

Some spider wasps sting the

spider and lay an egg on it but do
not dig a burrow to put it in. The
spider is left where it was stung
and the larva hatches and eats
the spider. A small number of
Spider Wasps steal spiders from
other Spider Wasps for their own
larva. This behaviour is known as
klepto-parasitism (klepto: Ancient
Greek for 'theft').

Danger to humans
Spider wasps have a potentially
painful sting. However they are
not aggressive and are unlikely to
use their venom on humans
unless extremely provoked. The
best advice is to leave them
alone. An ice pack may be used to
relieve the pain of the sting. If
there is evidence of an allergic
reaction, medical attention
should be sought.

References
AGFACTS Information Leaflets
CSIRO. 1994. Insects of
Australia. CSIRO Publishing.
Goode, J. 1980. Insects of
Australia. Angus & Robertson,
London
Hadlington, P. and J. Johnston.
1982. An Introduction to
Australian Insects. UNSW Press,
Sydney
Zbrowski, P. and R. Storey.
1995. A Field Guide to Insects in
Australia. Reed Books, Sydney

wasp insect

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