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Eight legged hairy arachnids slowly creeping up our spines is usually the core plot of our ghostly nightmares.

The mere thought of these sinister bugs being attacked and predated upon, seems to render itself null and void. But as they always say even the most vicious and vile villains (spiders) eat the dust some day at the hands of the muscle pumping - villain thumping hunks. A Super Bug with no side kicks and a sting so painful and poisonous that it heralds itself the messiah of the weak (in this case the humans). Introducing first, weighing a total of a few milligrams and hailing from the wild jungles of.. The South.it is the one..and the only.SPIDERRRR WASSSSP (Spider Wasp). Belonging to the family Pompilidae, these wasps are mostly cosmopolitan with a whopping total of some 5000 species in some 6 sub families scattered all across the globe. Solitary hunters by blood these Wasps blow the living day lights out of all common arachnids. The common name Spider Wasps has its origins in the wasps notable yet peculiar behavior of hunting and killing spiders as food for their larvae. The irony here being that these Uni-killers usually go for eight legged hairy damsels twice their size, which is in accordance with their demands of a large yet individual food source that lasts out till the larvae develops into a fully grown adult. These sleek assassins with a slender and tough body are by and large strong fliers capable of flying goods beyond their own body weight. It is particularly owing to this particular characteristic and its indomitable sting that the wasps have been able to prolong the availability of spiders on their starters list. The wasps usually build their dens (burrows) near the site of attack or use the hosts own burrow or tunnel, this little gimmick is mainly used to ease transportation and also to prevent parasites and other scavengers from abducting its temporarily paralyzed prey/food. Other than this god forbidden liking towards the Eight Leggies, the spider wasps are mostly nectar-feeding insects and feed on a variety of plants. Their look even though complemented well by their liking towards the spiders, is deceiving and is a clear indicator of the fact that the all that looks evil neednt be evil.

Schmidt Pain Index


In 1984, Joseph O. Schmidt, a researcher from Arizona, developed a Hymenopteran sting pain scale; what is now known as the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. This index runs from 0 to 4, where a 0 is given to a sting from an insect that can not break through human skin, a 2 is given for intermediate pain, and a 4 is given for intense pain. The scale rates stings from 78 different

species in 42 different genera. Spider Wasps of the genera Pepsis, also known as Tarantula Hawks, have a sting rating of 4.0. The sting is described as "blinding, fierce, and shockingly electric. A running hair drier has been dropped into your bubble bath" Only the bite of the Bullet Ant, Paraponera clavata, is ranked higher, with a 4.0+ rating.

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