General: Tarantula Hawks (Pepsis and Hemipepsis spp.) are large, interesting wasps that live in the Mojave Desert. They probably eat lots of things, but one thing females do is sting and paralyze Tarantulas. They then lay an egg on the tarantula, bury it, and let the developing larva eat the live tarantula until it is ready to pupate and hatch into a young adult. The wasp is about 1/3 of the size of a tarantula, but they are effective predators.

There are 15 species of Tarantula Hawks in North America, but in Nevada, only one is common: Pepsis thisbe. This species is recognized by the large size (of females), the blue-black body with orange wings, and black antennae. Another fairly common species, Pepsis grossa, has red on the antennae, but it is more common in Arizona.

The sting is said to be quite painful, but not life threatening. It is said to feel like an electric wand hitting you, inducing an immediate and excruciating pain that simply shuts down one’s ability to do anything, except perhaps, to scream. One researcher, however, described a sting as feeling like 10 flaming bullets rotating inside you all at once. Original Source (see scorpion section). If the link is broken, snatch a copy here.

If you get stung, consider calling the National Poison Control Center toll-free at (800) 222-1222. This number is good for emergency information as well as general information and questions.

One author says the best thing to do if you are stung by a Tarantula Hawk is to lie down and scream. Apparently is hurts so much that people injure themselves by jumping around and trying to run away. Apparently the mind is so distracted by the pain that people can't properly care for themselves until the pain subsides.

Fortunately, these beautiful creatures are rather docile and allow close approach (at least so far).