NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — Tarantulas, beware. It’s officially mating season for New Mexico’s state insect, the tarantula hawk. They’re a type of spider wasp primarily known to hunt tarantulas in a particularly gruesome, long-lived manner. Not only that, but these insects are considered to have one of the most painful stings in the world.
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“The way that they eat is they will emerge from the ground,” explained ABQ BioPark Curator of Entomology Alex Miller. “Paralyze a tarantula, drag the tarantula into their burrow, lay an egg, and then the egg will hatch, and they will eat the paralyzed live tarantulas.” Miller added that during this process, tarantula hawks specifically avoid the tarantula’s important organs in order to keep them alive for as long as possible.
Although this insect is outstandingly brutal towards tarantulas, they fortunately do not want much of anything to do with humans, with the primary exception being if you provoke them. In that case, you should prepare to be in extreme pain for about five minutes. The sting of a female tarantula hawk is rated level four on the Schmidt sting pain level scale, with the sensation being described as “blinding, fierce, shockingly electric.”
Although it’s exceptionally painful, Miller says it’s not medically significant. “It’s one of the most painful stings in the world,” said Miller. “You’ll want to die because of how bad the pain is, but you won’t die, so you’ll be fine.” And as for the male tarantula hawks, they don’t possess a stinger. At worst, you may just find them acting territorial as they try to fend off other men from interfering with their mating process.
Fortunately enough, tarantula hawks are extremely loud when they’re flying, so you’ll likely be able to tell if one is in your vicinity. The buzz they make is comparable to that of a fly, but just a lot louder. They’re also fairly fast, and when it comes to size, they’re about two inches long. The insect is primarily found in the southwest — makes sense, given that’s the region tarantulas call home in the US.
Speaking of home, this bug has made such an impact on the Land of Enchantment that it’s been declared the state insect of New Mexico. That came to be back in 1989 when an elementary school class took a vote on what to make the state insect. There were a total of three options, and tarantula hawks won out. What were the other two options? That’s unclear. Were those options less hardcore than a fairly-big, tarantula-paralyzing, eat-its-prey-alive spider wasp? Seems likely.
All in all, this insect is frightening on paper, but Miller describes them as pretty docile and being “very much on their own mission.” As long as you’re not a tarantula, you likely aren’t included in that mission.
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