Wasps Turn Spiders Into Their Zombie Bodyguards, Then Kill Them

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

The wasp’s pupa commandeering an enslaved spider. Keizo Takasuka, Author provided

Scientists in Japan have discovered a species of wasp that induces a zombie-like state in spiders in order to manipulate them into protecting the wasp’s own pupa.

The finding, published today in The Journal of Experimental Biology, is the latest example of biological control, whereby parasitic insects manipulate hosts for their own survival and reproduction.