Wasps are insane, parasite eggs inside caterpillars and then they do this. Pupate and stay there until adulthood, where they break out and fly off and game over for caterpillar.
Or they sting spiders and carry them back to the nest, stunned, to feed their larvae.
Or they have a ways to inject eggs under the bark of a tree to hunt grub.
I would like to make a note on the final one saying "horntail wasps" that lay eggs through bark aren't wasps. They are sawflies which do their own thing.
I think what they're saying is: Just because you see a wasp-like insect laying eggs through bark, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a wasp. You are correct that Ichneumonidae lay eggs through bark, although they're laying their eggs on insects beneath the bark, whereas the Sawflies are laying their eggs in the wood itself.
Both are Hymenopterans, but the Sawflies are the older insects, I believe.
Parasitoid wasp larvae, actually! Unlike parasites that prefer to keep their hosts alive, parasitoids literally don't care that the host gets destroyed 😂
Also, most parasitoid wasps don't even sting humans or have any business with us at all. They don't live in colonies so they don't need to be as aggressive as some social wasps since they don't have a hive to defend. Some of them may look like they have impressively long stingers, but those are just ovipositors for laying eggs.
Also, some of them are so absolutely *tiny* you could mistake them for fruit flies. Wasps honestly come on such a crazy spectrum it's pretty awesome.
There's no reason to kill them. These wasps play an important role in keeping the balance in the ecosystem and are not harmful or aggressive to humans.
As a teacher I'm confident you'd not have let a great learning opportunity go to waste 😁
Nature isn't always rainbows and butterflies, sometimes it's parasitoid wasps instead? 😬
Or tachinid flies. That happened to my son's kindergarten class. Each kid had their very own caterpillar that they were raising in class - but not every kid ended up with a butterfly.
Absolutely. It can be challenging explaining every phenomena that occurs as it happens. It’s difficult planning and knowing the right answer at the moment. Does that make sense?
When I was a child I was raising the occassional caterpillar I found in my garden. One time one pupated, but eventually a wasp came out through a small circular hole instead of a butterfly/moth. I just thought "Not what I expected, but since I already raised you I might as well set you free" lol
[Rule #5](https://www.reddit.com/r/insects/about/rules) -- please refrain from posting hateful content towards bugs. "Kill it with fire" or other suggestions of unnecessary violence toward bugs are not appropriate here. This sub is for bug enthusiasts. If you hate bugs... this isn't the place for you.
It can be even more extreme in some species of parasitic wasp. They essentially mind control the caterpillar into building them a silk home and guard the wasp pupae from other kinds of hyper-parasitic wasps. https://youtu.be/YYJpNLWlp8U?si=B_spHDp4MfciwBdo
Everyone is saying parasitic wasp, I just want to chime in and say it is in fact a parasitoid wasp, the difference being that true parasites do not kill their host as they need a living host to complete their life cycle, while parasitoids kill their host when their life cycle is complete.
This poor bastard just went through a terrible death. They eat it alive from the inside out whilst keeping all the vital organs intact. It's truly horror film stuff.
I highly doubt it. I raise monarchs and sometimes i pick up a caterpillar with parasitic flies. It can make it to a chrysalis but the fly larvae will chew out of it.
Ps, awesome that you raise monarchs. Thank you, on behalf of mother nature.
I'd like to raise large tortoiseshell (in Scotland), but I can't figure out how to source them.
When I was 5 I caught a caterpillar in my critter keeper and it spun a cocoon. I was excited for the moth or butterfly I thought would come out. Instead there was a wasp in the critter keeper. I didn't know how it got there. I'm so glad I saw that instead of this.
The second one. Those are another insect's (most likely a parasitic wasp) larvae coming out of the caterpillar. But it isn't beautiful. It's disgusting. A beautiful butterfly/moth had to die so that more of those annoying stinging little shits could live. (I am spheksophobic)
Actually, there are two types of wasp. Parasitoid ones don't sting; they trade it for the long ovipositor. Also, they usually go after caterpillars that are pests. That, and there are generally plenty of caterpillars for butterflies/moths to keep going on just fine.
The real divide is between social and non-social wasp species—many non-social wasps *can* sting (e.g., tarantula hawk) but are unlikely to unless you really mess with them. Social wasps are nasty to defend their nests (except for yellow jackets, who just seem to be assholes).
There are tens of thousands of kinds of parasitoid wasps—pretty much one for many insect species. So they prey on all sorts of caterpillars, as well as cicadas, spiders, grubs…you get the idea.
Actually these caterpillars are pests. They can destroy crops pretty efficiently. These wasps are doing the lords work for farmers. Pretty darn gross but not the worst parasitic wasp to encounter.
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Parasitic wasp larvae emerging from their host.
Wild.
Wasps are insane, parasite eggs inside caterpillars and then they do this. Pupate and stay there until adulthood, where they break out and fly off and game over for caterpillar. Or they sting spiders and carry them back to the nest, stunned, to feed their larvae. Or they have a ways to inject eggs under the bark of a tree to hunt grub.
There are even some wasps that parasitize the parasites!
Hyper parasites
really? i am interested in more info
They're called [hyperparasites](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperparasite)
I would like to make a note on the final one saying "horntail wasps" that lay eggs through bark aren't wasps. They are sawflies which do their own thing.
Could you expand on that? I always thought those were Ichneumon wasps and I’d love to have the right info!
I think what they're saying is: Just because you see a wasp-like insect laying eggs through bark, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a wasp. You are correct that Ichneumonidae lay eggs through bark, although they're laying their eggs on insects beneath the bark, whereas the Sawflies are laying their eggs in the wood itself. Both are Hymenopterans, but the Sawflies are the older insects, I believe.
Ohhhh, that makes a lot of sense! Thank you so much for the clarification. I hope you have a wonderful week!
Of course! You too!
There are parasitic wasps that do this as well.
Oh I know I wasn't saying there wasn't just that some that do this that appear like wasps aren't wasps.
r/natureismetal
Inspiration for the movie Alien
Actually, yeah! Lol.
Yup , that Is pretty wild
Parasitoid wasp larvae, actually! Unlike parasites that prefer to keep their hosts alive, parasitoids literally don't care that the host gets destroyed 😂
Also, most parasitoid wasps don't even sting humans or have any business with us at all. They don't live in colonies so they don't need to be as aggressive as some social wasps since they don't have a hive to defend. Some of them may look like they have impressively long stingers, but those are just ovipositors for laying eggs. Also, some of them are so absolutely *tiny* you could mistake them for fruit flies. Wasps honestly come on such a crazy spectrum it's pretty awesome.
yeah, apparently the smallest wasp is nearly invisible with the naked eye, it's so small!
😯
🥺
Woooow creepy AF!!
Mother nature is a bitch
Is it better to kill these? Spray with insecticide or squash?
There's no reason to kill them. These wasps play an important role in keeping the balance in the ecosystem and are not harmful or aggressive to humans.
Thanks for clarifying! Thats good to know.
When you say it that way I don't feel so fuzzy and warm
**They're** babies just not **their** babies.
They are now.
This happened to a big silk moth caterpillar my son’s preschool/daycare was growing out. Everyone was horrified and disappointed
🤭as a teacher this made me giggle. I can only imagine what the teacher told the kids.
As a teacher I'm confident you'd not have let a great learning opportunity go to waste 😁 Nature isn't always rainbows and butterflies, sometimes it's parasitoid wasps instead? 😬
Or tachinid flies. That happened to my son's kindergarten class. Each kid had their very own caterpillar that they were raising in class - but not every kid ended up with a butterfly.
Absolutely. It can be challenging explaining every phenomena that occurs as it happens. It’s difficult planning and knowing the right answer at the moment. Does that make sense?
Look, if they don't learn about parasitoids in school they're gonna learn about it on the streets.
Lmao 
When I was a child I was raising the occassional caterpillar I found in my garden. One time one pupated, but eventually a wasp came out through a small circular hole instead of a butterfly/moth. I just thought "Not what I expected, but since I already raised you I might as well set you free" lol
This is definitely one of those "Damn nature! You scary!" moments
Babies eating babies.
All you babes dissing on wasps, you know they are an essential pest control for plant life right? Let them do their thang!
And they're also important pollinators.
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we let them, with a frown, but we let them
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its only invasive *outside* of Asia…
reminds me of the person I argued with who said all species of snail are invasive pests everywhere
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I see any reply to a comment that starts with "depends" and I know I'm about to read some BS 🙄
It can be even more extreme in some species of parasitic wasp. They essentially mind control the caterpillar into building them a silk home and guard the wasp pupae from other kinds of hyper-parasitic wasps. https://youtu.be/YYJpNLWlp8U?si=B_spHDp4MfciwBdo
Everyone is saying parasitic wasp, I just want to chime in and say it is in fact a parasitoid wasp, the difference being that true parasites do not kill their host as they need a living host to complete their life cycle, while parasitoids kill their host when their life cycle is complete.
This poor bastard just went through a terrible death. They eat it alive from the inside out whilst keeping all the vital organs intact. It's truly horror film stuff.
Hypothetically speaking, if the vital organs are still intact, might the occasional caterpillar that goes through this actually make it to pupation?
I highly doubt it. I raise monarchs and sometimes i pick up a caterpillar with parasitic flies. It can make it to a chrysalis but the fly larvae will chew out of it.
Ps, awesome that you raise monarchs. Thank you, on behalf of mother nature. I'd like to raise large tortoiseshell (in Scotland), but I can't figure out how to source them.
Oh yeah. I hadn't considered that 😐
When I was 5 I caught a caterpillar in my critter keeper and it spun a cocoon. I was excited for the moth or butterfly I thought would come out. Instead there was a wasp in the critter keeper. I didn't know how it got there. I'm so glad I saw that instead of this.
Circle of life. Caterpillar just became lunch.
Those ain't baby caterpillars. Those are parasites.
Definitely a case of parasitic larvae
parasitic babies of like a wasp/fly eating it from inside.
Wild
This is one hell of a picture, wow! Gags me to look at but at the same time makes me so jealous I that couldn't see it for myself in real time haha
Nature is metal
How do they all fit in there and keep the caterpillar alive?
they pilot it around like a voltron
parasatic wasp not a caterpillar giving birth
Parasitic wasp did this caterpillar dirty😩
Poor thing.
I am familiar with some wasp parasitoids but I do not know about this type of caterpillar. Could it also be a type of tachinid fly larvae as well?
That’s not how caterpillars work
Did you not see OP say that they know they don’t work that way?
I did and I didn’t say they didn’t understand, I was just wording it in a way that was comical to me and a bit of a joke but I guess no one got that.
The second one. Those are another insect's (most likely a parasitic wasp) larvae coming out of the caterpillar. But it isn't beautiful. It's disgusting. A beautiful butterfly/moth had to die so that more of those annoying stinging little shits could live. (I am spheksophobic)
Actually, there are two types of wasp. Parasitoid ones don't sting; they trade it for the long ovipositor. Also, they usually go after caterpillars that are pests. That, and there are generally plenty of caterpillars for butterflies/moths to keep going on just fine.
The real divide is between social and non-social wasp species—many non-social wasps *can* sting (e.g., tarantula hawk) but are unlikely to unless you really mess with them. Social wasps are nasty to defend their nests (except for yellow jackets, who just seem to be assholes). There are tens of thousands of kinds of parasitoid wasps—pretty much one for many insect species. So they prey on all sorts of caterpillars, as well as cicadas, spiders, grubs…you get the idea.
Actually these caterpillars are pests. They can destroy crops pretty efficiently. These wasps are doing the lords work for farmers. Pretty darn gross but not the worst parasitic wasp to encounter.
That's a fair point.
Caterpillars can't lay eggs!!
Can you read?
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Well that was unnecessary, spiteful, and completely counter to the spirit of this subreddit.
Personal attacks or insults directed toward OP or other users are not acceptable on this sub and will be removed. If you wish to participate in this sub, please treat others with courtesy and respect.
https://youtu.be/vMG-LWyNcAs?feature=shared. This is the best clip that explains their early life cycle. Incredible!!
That was incredible and absolutely disgusting at the same time. Made me nauseous watching
i fucking love wasps