Parasitoid wasps use venom to turn their hosts into living nurseries
Parasitoid wasps inject specialized venoms that hijack the nervous systems of their hosts, transforming living insects into helpless, fresh food sources for their developing larvae.
Over 100,000 species of parasitoid wasps have evolved a lethal strategy that blurs the line between predation and parasitism. A wasp, such as those in the genus Glyptapanteles, will lay its eggs inside a living caterpillar, accompanied by a cocktail of venom and viruses that suppress the host's immune system. As the larvae grow, they consume the host's non-essential tissues first, keeping the insect alive and fresh until they are ready to emerge.
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