Page 164 - For Men of Understanding

THE WAR OF THE WASP "PEPSIS" WITH THE TARANTULA
During the reproductive season, the giant wasp called "pepsis" does not
bother with building a nest or incubating, contrary to other animals. It is
equipped with a totally different reproductive mechanism by its nature. This
wasp feeds and protects its eggs by using the biggest and most poisonous spi-
der on earth called the tarantula.
Tarantulas generally hide themselves in the tunnels they dig underground.
This wasp, however, is equipped with special sensors sensitive to the smell of
the tarantula. Therefore, it is not so difficult for it to find its prey. The tarantu-
la, however, is not a creature that is often found. For this reason, the wasp
sometimes has to walk for hours on the ground to find a single tarantula.
During this trip, it does not neglect to clean its sensors regularly so that they
do not lose their sensitivity.
When the wasp finds the tarantula, a war breaks out. The main weapon of
the tarantula is its fatal poison. At the outset of the struggle, the tarantula imme-
diately bites the wasp. Yet these wasps (pepsis) are protected against the poi-
son of the tarantula by possession of a special antidote and they are not affect-
ed by the strong poison of the tarantula owing to that special secretion in their
body.
At this stage, the tarantula has nothing more to do against the wasp. It is
now the wasp's turn to bite. The wasp bites the tarantula on the upper left part
of its stomach and discharges its poison there. It is interesting that the wasp
especially chooses this part in the tarantula’s body, because this is the most sen-
sitive section of the tarantula. The most interesting part of the event starts after
this stage: the poison of the wasp is placed in its body not to kill the tarantu-
la but to paralyse it.
Carrying the paralysed tarantula to a suitable place, the wasp digs a hole
there and puts the tarantula in the hole. Then the wasp makes a hole in the
stomach of the tarantula and leaves only one egg in it.
Within a few days, the offspring of the pepsis pops out of the egg. The off-
spring feeds on the flesh of the tarantula and takes shelter in its body until the
cocoon period when it will undergo metamorphosis.
The pepsis has to find a tarantula for each one of the twenty eggs it will lay
throughout the reproductive season.
This incredible method shows us that the reproductive system of this wasp
is specially created in accordance with the nature of the tarantula. Otherwise,
it is by no means possible to explain the presence of the antidote in the wasp’s
body against the poison of the tarantula, or its secreting a fluid that paralyses
the tarantula.

162 For Men of Understanding