Invertebrates
Cuckoo Wasp
Chrysididae · also called cuckoo wasps
Flashing a dazzling metallic sheen as it slips into another wasp’s nest, a cuckoo wasp lays its egg among the host’s own brood, ready to curl into a tight, armoured ball the instant the rightful owner returns and attacks.
Overview
The cuckoo wasp, family Chrysididae, is found in forest and grassland habitat nearly worldwide, wherever its host wasps or bees occur. Its brilliant structural colouring, brood-parasitic lifestyle, and remarkable defensive curling ability make it one of the most visually striking and behaviourally cunning wasps found anywhere.
Beauty as a byproduct of a dangerous lifestyle
Sneaking eggs into another insect’s nest is a risky business, and the cuckoo wasp’s famous armour, a hard, sculpted exoskeleton capable of curling into a near-impenetrable ball, exists specifically to survive the furious retaliation of a host that has just discovered the intrusion.
Status
Not Evaluated for conservation status as a family, found across forest and grassland habitat nearly worldwide.
Cuckoo Wasp: common questions
Why is it called the cuckoo wasp?
Like a cuckoo bird, it sneaks its eggs into another species' nest, in this case the nest of a host wasp or bee, leaving the host unknowingly responsible for raising offspring that will ultimately consume its own brood or food stores.
Can a cuckoo wasp sting a person?
Rarely in any meaningful way; most species have a weak or non-functional sting and instead survive a furious host's attack by curling into a tight, armoured ball that protects their vulnerable underside.
Why is the cuckoo wasp so brightly coloured?
Its vivid metallic blue, green, and red sheen comes from microscopic structures in the exoskeleton that reflect light in specific ways, the same basic mechanism that produces colour in many jewel beetles.
Where are cuckoo wasps found?
Almost anywhere their host wasp or bee species occur, since their entire life cycle depends on locating a suitable host's nest to parasitise.