TED-Ed

The bizarre world of parasitic wasps - Miles Zhang (2023x4)

: 12, 2023

A cockroach and jewel wasp are locked in battle. The wasp latches onto the cockroach and inserts her stinger into the cockroach's brain, where her venom blocks its fight-or-flight response. Now, the cockroach is essentially a zombie, and its carcass will be used to grow the wasp’s offspring. Miles Zhang explores the gruesome evolutionary strategy known as parasitoidism. Lesson by Miles Zhang, directed by Denys Spolitak.