Cockroaches are enslaved by the jewel wasp, which injects mind-controlling venom into their brains and stings them in absurdly precise locations. After leading its zombie roach into a chamber, the wasp places a single egg on it and covers the chamber with stones. It then leaves the chamber with its host, who is still completely at ease. Here, the larva pierces the roach, feeds on its internal organs, kills it, and then emerges from its carcass into the open air. Let’s talk a bit more about the process of turning the roach into a zombie! By using her senses of smell and sight, the female jewel wasp will locate a cockroach. She will then attack it quickly, biting into its exoskeleton before stretching her abdomen to sting the bug’s tender underside. This doesn’t sit well with the roach, who struggles wildly and tucks in its chin in an effort to avoid what will unavoidably happen next. Now that the roach’s front legs are paralyzed, the wasp can easily draw its stinger out and ram it into the roach’s neck because this is the first stage of behavioral modification. Unlike the first sting, which only lasted a few brief seconds, this one is much more focused and lasts for about a minute. Throughout this time, the wasp can continuously direct its stinger through the various tissues of the cockroach’s headshell until it locates the cockroach’s brain by using specialized sensing receptors on the tip of its stinger. I never thought I’d have to say it, but I’ve never been happier to not be a cockroach!
See It for Yourself
A video from Team Candiru on Youtube shows all of this in action. Even though the roach is much larger than the wasp, it stands no chance against the advanced species of wasp. If the wasp injects too little venom, the roach can get away before becoming a zombie. With just enough venom, the insect is able to carry the cockroach to her borough. The wasp then carefully picks twigs and rocks to cover the opening of the borough to keep her catch safe from other predators. A comment under the incredible video says, “Cockroaches can live for a very long time on very little to keep themselves alive. Amazing how this wasp figured it out and adapted in such a way to use their longevity to its own advantage.” The world of insects is wildly fascinating. We’re glad someone was able to capture this jaw-dropping footage of the iridescent wasp zombifying the roach with precision. Who knows what else they’re capable of? Take a look at the stunning footage below!
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