The Parasitic Wasp
By Katie Barry and Grace Navarroli :)
What is the parasitic wasp and how is it born?
- Range in size from less than a millimeter to about an inch in length.
- Brown or black in color, possibly small amounts of yellow
- Parasitic = lay eggs in host
- Hatched in the body cavity
- Caterpillars = main choice of parasitic wasps.
- Also laid in beetles, spiders and flies.
- Once eggs hatch, the parasitic wasp larvae eat the host from the inside out.
Where can they be found? What do they eat?
- Found globally, near freshwater and mild temperatures
- Eat locusts, cabbage caterpillars, pollen, nectar
Cabbage Caterpillar
Meal
Locust
Meal
Locations
Located in places with mild temperatures and freshwater (especially North America)
How is it involved in decomposition?
- Eats insects that eat the corpse
- Could possibly eat evidence that would be helpful in an investigation
FUN FACTS!
- A Yugoslavian strain of parasitic wasps SOMEHOW ended up in Michigan to assist corn farmers
- One of the largest insect groups
- Several hundred different species
- Harmless to humans
- Hone in on garden pests, eat them
Sources
"Decomposition." Australian Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://australianmuseum.net.au/decomposition-corpse-fauna#parasitic-wasps>.
Parker, Lee. "The Habitat of a Parasitic Wasp." Pawnation. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://animals.pawnation.com/habitat-parasitic-wasp-5099.html>.
"Iowa Insect Information Notes." Parasitic Wasps. Iowa State University, 14 July 2005. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/bparasiti.html>.