Tarantula Hawk Wasp

About the Tarantula Hawk Wasp

Has the second most painful insect sting on the Schmidt Pain Index - described as blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. Justin Schmidt, who created the scale, said it shuts down ones ability to do anything. They sting tarantulas, drag them to a burrow, and lay a single egg on the paralyzed spider. The larva then eats the spider alive over several weeks. Despite the sting, they are docile and rarely sting humans. They are the state insect of New Mexico.