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| From the book: Buzz Sting Bite |
When we gardeners talk about beneficial insects, lady bird beetles, and parasitoid wasps are on the list.
Here's a fascinating DelanceyPlace excerpt from the book 𝘽𝙪𝙯𝙯 𝙎𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙞𝙩𝙚 by Dr. Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Ås, Norway, discussing the case of a parasitoid wasp and its lady bird beetle host.
"The big question here is how the wasp mother can control the ladybug, transforming her into a zombie babysitter. After all, several weeks have passed since she laid her egg and vanished.
The answer is that the wasp mother injects the ladybug not just with the egg but also with a virus. The virus accumulates in the brain and is controlled by a timing mechanism that paralyzes the ladybug at the precise moment when the larva is squeezing its way out.
So, the virus enables the wasp to take over the brain of the ladybug, making it serve not just as baby food but also as a babysitter. The only good thing we can say about all this is that, unbelievably enough, the ladybug sometimes survives the whole ordeal."
DelanceyPlace Via Extension Master Gardener, November 13, 2019.
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