[DiandJay]

My husband and I were walking along the Marsh Bend Trail near the Water Lily Rec Center yesterday. We suddenly came across an orange wasp ~1.5 inches in length. It was dragging an enormous spider. The diameter of this spiders body, legs curled up, was about the size of a US nickel. As the drama was unfolding in the center of the path directly in our way, we stopped a few yards away to observe. The wasp left the spider and flew directly at my husband who swatted it away. We moved back and observed the wasp grab ahold of its prey and proceed to drag it up onto the shorter grass into some nearby tall ornamental grasses.
Anybody else witnessed this type of wasp before? I found a similar species but it lives in Texas. Apparently these spiders fall into a category known as Pompilidae?
Thanks for any observations.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by DiandJay

My husband and I were walking along the Marsh Bend Trail near the Water Lily Rec Center yesterday. We suddenly came across an orange wasp ~1.5 inches in length. It was dragging an enormous spider. The diameter of this spiders body, legs curled up, was about the size of a US nickel. As the drama was unfolding in the center of the path directly in our way, we stopped a few yards away to observe. The wasp left the spider and flew directly at my husband who swatted it away. We moved back and observed the wasp grab ahold of its prey and proceed to drag it up onto the shorter grass into some nearby tall ornamental grasses.
Anybody else witnessed this type of wasp before? I found a similar species but it lives in Texas. Apparently these spiders fall into a category known as Pompilidae?
Thanks for any observations.

Maybe one of these--

Red Paper Wasp (Polistes spp.)