Spider Hunter Wasp
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Wasps have always been my favourite insects, but the Spider Hunters, (Family: Pompilidae) in particular. Pompilids are known for succumbing Tarantulas in the Americas. They are solitary hunters often boasting beautifully bright orange or red warning bands, as here. This is Cryptocheilus species, about 4cm long in real life. It hunts spiders under the bark of trees like this Eucalyptus on which it is pausing and basking momentarily. Sculptured from Arches (France) 310gsm cotton hot-pressed mould made papers to create the body core. Covered with a variety of handmade Hemp, Flax and Kozo (Mulberry) papers to create the textures. The bark is of coloured mulberry papers. The individual body hairs are sliced from machine madepaper to take advantage of its directional grain strength, not a property of papers made by hand. The wings are of transparent Glassine Paper. The spider webs are the long Kozo fibres teased from the source paper. Colours are mostly acrylic inks applied by airbrush.Try it!
