A ladybug with a parasitic wasp's cocoon between its legs. NUTMEG66 / FLICKR
The parasitic wasp, Dinocampus coccinellae, infects the beloved garden beetle, the ladybug, in a gruesome scene that could fit right into one of the Alien movies. First, the wasp injects a single egg into the ladybug’s abdomen. Upon hatching, the larva eats away at the ladybug’s tissues for approximately three weeks, at which point it paralyzes the ladybug by severing the nerves to its legs and digs its way out into the world. Remarkably, the ladybug remains alive after this, remaining immobilized as the larva spins a cocoon between its legs.
According to a study published online on June 22 in the journal of the Royal Society, Biology Letters, it’s in the wasp’s best interest to keep the ladybug alive in this zombie-like state for ...
