Knowledge You Should Know About Zombie LadyBugs

Zombie LadyBug

Ladybugs can suffer infections from wasp species. 

Wasp( Dinocampus coccinellae) stings ladybugs to host its eggs. 

When a female wasp stings a ladybug, it leaves behind a single egg. When the egg hatches into larva, the larva begins to eat up the ladybug from the inside out.

The parasites emerges and spins a cocoon between the ladybug's leg as seen in picture above. Though the ladybugs is no longer tormented by the parasite inside of it but now enslaved, standing over the cocoon and protecting it from potential predators. Automatically becomes a zombie ladybug. Only few survive ladybugs such this ordeal.

Credit: National Geographic| Photo Credit: Anand Varma and Jacques Brodeur Lab|University of Montreal