
A jewel wasp or Emerald cockroach wasp
- The Jewel wasp or Emerald cockroach wasp is a parasitoid which uses their venom for reproduction.
- The only hunts and parasite certain types of bigger roaches.
- When the Jewel wasp attacks, the first sting is delivered into the cockroach’s nervous system, temporarily paralyzes the legs and enables the jewel wasp to deliver a second sting into its brain.
- Because of the stings, the roach’s dopamine is disabled which turns it to a zombie with no ability to move.
- The wasp then leads the roach into a burrow where the roach is sealed in for a hibernation-like state.
- The jewel wasp’s offspring emerges from the roach in form of a larvae which gets nutrition from the cockroach and then leaves the dead body after 6 weeks, full grown.
- The Jewel wasp is common in the tropical regions of South Asia, Africa and the Pacific islands.
- The Wasps have a metallic blue and green body with the third pairs of legs red. The female is circa 22 mm long and the male is a bit smaller and without a stinger.