The fact that some insects parasitize other insects is nothing new. It’s a bug eat bug world out there.
But here’s an amazing example of parasitism that takes things to an entirely new level.
Dinocampus coccinellae is a species of parasitic wasp that focuses on adult female ladybugs. Smaller than the ladybug host, the female wasp will use her needle-like ovipositor to inject an egg into the lady beetle’s body.
So far this sounds like your standard case of parasitism. But an egg was not the only thing the wasp injected into the beetle …she also introduced a virus.
Once the egg hatches, the wasp larva begins internally eating the beetle’s fat stores and reproductive organs. Surprisingly, our ladybug remains very much alive and active.
It is not until the larva is ready to pupate that the virus comes into play.
The wasp larva will leave the ladybug’s body and spin a silken cocoon attached to the living ladybug’s leg. This activity coincides with the virus entering the beetle’s brain …keeping her alive but now in a zombie-like existence.
Why go through this seemingly complicated process to pupate? The zombie ladybug now acts like a bodyguard for the otherwise defenseless wasp pupa. The bright colors of most ladybug species is a warning that they taste terrible, decreasing the number of potential predators interested in a ladybug meal.
If that’s not enough, since the beetle is still alive, she’ll actively defend the wasp pupa from any persistent predators.
Pupation of the parasite generally spells the end for most host species. But remarkably, up to 25% of the ladybugs impacted by these wasps recover to live out the rest of their buggy days.