#pepsis

[herpsandbirds]

Milde's Tarantula-Hawk Wasp (Pepsis mildei), female, family Pompilidae, National Butterfly Center, Mission, TX, US

- with Western Honey Bee friend.

Another wasp in this genus has what is considered to be the most painful sting of any insect in the United States, Pepsis grossa. This species most likely has a comparable sting.

As with many species of wasp, the adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers.

They paralyze tarantulas and other large spiders, which they feed to their larvae.

This individual was HUGE, and very active! (almost 2.5 inches in length).

Seen here feeding on a mixture of mashed banana, beer, and yeast, spread on one of the feeding logs next to the trails.

photograph by Paxon Kale

(CC - Creative Commons liscence)

[great-and-small]

Tarantula: May I have a coke please

Waitress: All we have is Pepsis is that okay?

*Tarantula sweating nervously*: Y-you have what

[lethargicmoth]

Pepsis sp. (Pompilidae) or Tarantula Hawk wasps are insects known for being predators of tarantulas, although their sting is known for being one of the most painful they're pretty docile in nature.

[onenicebugperday]

@iridiumurchin​ submitted: This AMAZING photo I took of a tarantula hawk drinking from my dads pond. My phone isn't very good but you can still see the like velvety texture.

This is some sort of isopod I'm like 90% sure.

Cute pic of the tarantula hawk wasp havin a sippy! The last fella is actually a roach, not an isopod :)

[persephonaae]

This summer, kick back with a nice refreshing pepsis :)

[addicted2wasps]

Sometime in the beginning of 2016, I had invented this mutant Hymenopteran hybrid. The idea was to combine 3 Hymenopterans with a very painful sting to create one with an even more painful sting. I don’t remember if it was from a dream or what, but it’s basically a cross between a Dasymutilla occidentalis, a Pepsis sp., and a Paraponera clavata. I named it Paradasepsis gigas. Para from Paraponera, das from Dasymutilla, and epsis from Pepsis. Gigas of course meaning “giant”. It supposedly preys on Vespula spp. The one in my drawing has a queen Vespula squamosa. It’s all imaginary anyway, but I rediscovered it yesterday and thought it would be fun to redraw it. I'll add more drawings to this post if I get around to doing them eventually. Of course, if this insect were real, it wouldn't sting or attack unless threatened.

[thelethalsilence]

tarantula hawk wasps and friends on desert milkweed Death Valley, CA May 2025