Friday, September 30, 2011

Male Wasps Fight To The Death Over Females

Male Wasps Fight To The Death Over Females

Males of the Melittobia wasp will fight whenever they can. This parasitoid wasp lays its eggs in the offspring of other insects such as caterpillars. Males are relatively few, accounting for only 5% of the brood. They are also blind & flightless so need to grab every advantage in order to secure a female in their only chance to mate. As soon as they emerge males set about each other with their scythe-like mandibles. Losers are killed & even the winners are often badly injured.



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