Wasp Spider

The Wasp Spider is thought to have originated in the Mediterranean and was first seen in the extreme south west of England in the 1920s.

It is now well-established in the New Forest heathlands and grasslands. At 4mm in size, the male is considerably smaller than the female, which reaches 15mm across when she is carrying eggs.

It’s not only the silvery cephalothorax and yellow, white and black banded abdomen that is striking but also the zig-zag of silk, known as a stabilimentum that it spins.

This makes the web more elastic and easier to trap and keep hold of its prey – like rather strong and energetic grasshoppers and crickets.