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Wasp & Bee
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Wasp & Bee |
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Freda spotted this strange-looking chrysalis-inside-web setup under our kitchen window ledge a few months ago. We're not sure, but we think that a parasitic wasp is involved. The wasp injects a tiny egg inside the caterpillar of certain types of moths or butterflies. The wasp egg hatches out into a larvae which takes over the body of the caterpillar and makes it spin the defensive web. Then it makes a meal of the caterpillar before hatching out as a wasp. In some parts of the world (the US for example) parasitic wasps are imported from China to prey on caterpillars spoiling crops (e.g. sugarcane). This is called "biocontrol".
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