[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
But tarantulas have enemies[/quote]
Actually, the tarantulas greatest enemy is man:
Habitat destruction.
[quote]gojira wrote:
BIGRAGOO wrote:
But tarantulas have enemies
Actually, the tarantulas greatest enemy is man:
Habitat destruction.[/quote]
That’s all animals’ greatest threat. We destroy habitat at an alarming rate.
Yea, we’re worse than a plauge of locusts.
We suck like that, althought I don’t care too much for insects, it is a shame what we’re doing. I know, the insects have a very important role, so I’m not for killing them off, but if I could find a way to keep other animals who eat them around, and to clean up the dead, and give nutrients and life to plants without insects, I’d do it.
I’m trying to do my part. We only have one child so far (two parents leaving only 1 child will reduce the population) but my wife wants one more. At least there’s no way that we’re increasing the population by only having two (if she gets her way, which she probably will).
Hornet vs. Huntsman
[quote]gojira wrote:
SWR-1240 wrote:
Although I think it may be helping me with my fears.
Well there is Theraphosa blondi, also known as “the Bird Eating Spider”. They measure about 10" to 12" across and have a lifespan of about 25 years.
And they don’t really eat birds, but they have been known to prey on…
mice.
Bwahahahahahahahah… [/quote]
Are the bird eating spiders naturally aggressive? Mainly because I’m wondering how that guy even is holding that thing without being bitten.
[quote]TKL.ca wrote:
Are the bird eating spiders naturally aggressive? Mainly because I’m wondering how that guy even is holding that thing without being bitten.
[/quote]
Not particularly, unless obviously provoked. Many specie of tarantula can be handled like this if care is exercised.
[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
SWR-1240 wrote:
The guy said he get a lot of them around his lilac trees. He seems to think they nest inside the trees. I don’t know if they’re the same thing as these, but it scared the crap out of me.
Did it look like this?[/quote]
I saw one of those bugs today lodged in the side of the house while I was cooking a steak on the grill. It’s head was apparently stuck in the side of the wall, and the whole buzzing every 10 seconds was pissing me off.
I grabbed a hockey puck from the garage, and when I went to smush the thing, it flipped out and removed itself from the place it was stuck. However, the thing forgot it’s head! It ripped it’s own head off, pulling from the area between sections of the siding! This story was just so nuts it had to be posted here.
[quote]hockechamp14 wrote:
BIGRAGOO wrote:
SWR-1240 wrote:
The guy said he get a lot of them around his lilac trees. He seems to think they nest inside the trees. I don’t know if they’re the same thing as these, but it scared the crap out of me.
Did it look like this?
I saw one of those bugs today lodged in the side of the house while I was cooking a steak on the grill. It’s head was apparently stuck in the side of the wall, and the whole buzzing every 10 seconds was pissing me off.
I grabbed a hockey puck from the garage, and when I went to smush the thing, it flipped out and removed itself from the place it was stuck. However, the thing forgot it’s head! It ripped it’s own head off, pulling from the area between sections of the siding! This story was just so nuts it had to be posted here.[/quote]
Nice!
[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
But tarantulas have enemies[/quote]
I found this on wikipedia, the tarantula hawk is 2nd to the top of the pain index:
Schmidt Sting Pain Index or The Justin O. Schmidt Pain Index was created by Justin O. Schmidt, an entomologist. Having been stung by almost every type of bee, wasp, and ant, Schmidt created (on his own time) an index to compare the overall pain of Hymenopteran stings on a four-point scale.
* 1.0 Sweat bee: Light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm.
* 1.2 Fire ant: Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet & reaching for the light switch.
* 1.8 Bullhorn acacia ant: A rare, piercing, elevated sort of pain. Someone has fired a staple into your cheek.
- 2.0 Bald-faced hornet: Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door.
* 2.0 Yellowjacket: Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine WC Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.
* 3.0 Red harvester ant: Bold and unrelenting. Somebody is using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail.
* 3.0 Paper wasp: Caustic & burning. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of Hydrochloric acid on a paper cut.
* 4.0 Pepsis wasp: Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair drier has been dropped into your bubble bath (if you get stung by one you might as well lie down and scream).
* 4.0+ Bullet ant: Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch nail in your heel.
[quote]TKL.ca wrote:
BIGRAGOO wrote:
But tarantulas have enemies
I found this on wikipedia, the tarantula hawk is 2nd to the top of the pain index:
Schmidt Sting Pain Index or The Justin O. Schmidt Pain Index was created by Justin O. Schmidt, an entomologist. Having been stung by almost every type of bee, wasp, and ant, Schmidt created (on his own time) an index to compare the overall pain of Hymenopteran stings on a four-point scale.
* 1.0 Sweat bee: Light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm.
* 1.2 Fire ant: Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet & reaching for the light switch.
* 1.8 Bullhorn acacia ant: A rare, piercing, elevated sort of pain. Someone has fired a staple into your cheek.
- 2.0 Bald-faced hornet: Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door.
* 2.0 Yellowjacket: Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine WC Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.
* 3.0 Red harvester ant: Bold and unrelenting. Somebody is using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail.
* 3.0 Paper wasp: Caustic & burning. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of Hydrochloric acid on a paper cut.
* 4.0 Pepsis wasp: Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair drier has been dropped into your bubble bath (if you get stung by one you might as well lie down and scream).
* 4.0+ Bullet ant: Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch nail in your heel.
[/quote]
Haha, I’ve read that before, and I agree with the ranking based on my experience with stings, though I have not gotten stung by a Pepsis or bullet ant.
That guy has an incredibly accurate description for those stings. I saw him once on Discovery giving the reporter some sample stings.
I don’t remember if he got to the pepsis(sp?) or not, but I’ve gone as far up that scale as I care to.
Yellow Jackets and multi-queen hives the size of cars:
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006607170317