A burden of parasitic wasps: more reasons I am glad not to be an insect

3 Comments / Nature, Tricks of the Trade / By

An inchworm carries a load of braconid wasp cocoons on her back:

photo details:
All photos with a Canon EOS 7D camera

(top)Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens
ISO 200 f/6.3 1/200 sec, indirect strobe

(middle)Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens
ISO 100 f/11 1/200 sec, backlit strobe

(bottom)Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens
ISO 200 f/9 1/160 sec, ambient light

3 thoughts on “A burden of parasitic wasps: more reasons I am glad not to be an insect”

    1. myrmecos

      Yeah, I thought that too. Some caterpillars can survive an attack if the parasite load isn’t too great and the wasps stick to hemolymph rather than vital organs. I wonder if this one might make it- it’s only hosting 4 of the things.

      Reply

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