Wasp Spider

 I first came across a female Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi) on the Isle of Wight, back in the early 1990's. In those days it was a rare find but nowadays it is a common species in southern England.

There is no mistaking this stunning creature for any other species of spider and whilst many of us shudder at the sight of a house spider galloping across the living room carpet, I have no qualms about getting close to this beauty.

Not only is the spider itself easily identified but its web is also very distinctive, usually bearing one or more zig-zag features in its structure.

The peak of the Wasp Spiders breeding season occurs during August when sometimes many females can be found sitting in the middle of their webs, low down in long grass.

Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi)

(female)

It is often said that every picture tells a story and that is certainly true of the following image. 

Approaching the female Wasp Spider is rather hazardous for the much smaller male. The female regularly eats the male either after or during mating and he must choose his moment carefully if he is to escape after a successful mating. That moment is generally just after the female has shed her old skin and before her new skin and mouthparts have hardened.

In the following image, the shed skin of the female can be seen in the web above her. Above that, a male spider sits at the periphery of the web contemplating his approach.

On the left of the female are the remains of another spider that she has devoured. This was either an unsuccessful male or another species of spider that wandered too close.

This male awaits his chance to approach a female on another web.

This female is feeding on a grasshopper (their main prey) that has leapt into her web.

The flask shaped egg sac of the Wasp Spider can be quite variable in size but the following image is of the largest one I have ever found, measuring 4cms. in length.