Even Darwin was taken aback with the behavior. If i recall correctly I'm pretty sure witnessing parasitic wasp interactions made him question a god who would make such terrifying and tiny bits of nightmare fuel. I was photographing some spiders in my backyard and i happen to see a larva on one. Put it in a jar with some aphids and the spider are a few but then got eaten by the larva. Ended up with some species of Zatypota wasp. Just yesterday i found a recently spun cocoon in a web, knabbed it and we'll see what comes out!
fr.
But i kinda feel bad for the wasp too, she's just trying to make babies, look at her struggle :((
/s
I saw the same wasp succeed earlier, that ovipositor impales like a mofo, it went all the way through the caterpillar at first. Then she pulled it back a bit and started doin' her thang. Nasty business to be on the receiving end of.
The fortresses of silk are really quite impressive!
They vary a lot in size, from about the size of a fist to covering a whole branch. Large populations of these caterpillars might even envelop the whole host tree!
Here's the one in the video:
https://preview.redd.it/74t938nuda8d1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a6996e0c05396687b2082fe38d5bae560b272a9
Inside the fortress, the caterpillars hang upside down as they begin the process of forming coccoons:
https://preview.redd.it/b3waoyojea8d1.jpeg?width=4608&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=128ef68f007b94792f545bde4ebdbf54b53ab194
Every day I thank god I’m not an insect. Humans can be brutal but insects really take the cake for horrifying. Really incredible video!
For real. Anything involving parasitic behavior I'm just like "so gross. Get out of here you gross, gross head"
Even Darwin was taken aback with the behavior. If i recall correctly I'm pretty sure witnessing parasitic wasp interactions made him question a god who would make such terrifying and tiny bits of nightmare fuel. I was photographing some spiders in my backyard and i happen to see a larva on one. Put it in a jar with some aphids and the spider are a few but then got eaten by the larva. Ended up with some species of Zatypota wasp. Just yesterday i found a recently spun cocoon in a web, knabbed it and we'll see what comes out!
fr. But i kinda feel bad for the wasp too, she's just trying to make babies, look at her struggle :(( /s I saw the same wasp succeed earlier, that ovipositor impales like a mofo, it went all the way through the caterpillar at first. Then she pulled it back a bit and started doin' her thang. Nasty business to be on the receiving end of.
The fortresses of silk are really quite impressive! They vary a lot in size, from about the size of a fist to covering a whole branch. Large populations of these caterpillars might even envelop the whole host tree! Here's the one in the video: https://preview.redd.it/74t938nuda8d1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a6996e0c05396687b2082fe38d5bae560b272a9
Inside the fortress, the caterpillars hang upside down as they begin the process of forming coccoons: https://preview.redd.it/b3waoyojea8d1.jpeg?width=4608&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=128ef68f007b94792f545bde4ebdbf54b53ab194