The Amazing Jewel Wasp

In the African desert, there lives a very interesting creature. It is called Ampulex compressa, the Jeweled Cockroach wasp. She is on the hunt of a cockroach. She approaches it carefully as the cockroach is far bigger than she is. Once she is close enough she strikes, stinging twice.

The first sting disables the roach's front legs. The second she delivers directly into the insect's brain. But this does not kill the roach. Nor is it even paralysed. The wasps venom disables the roach's escape reflexes. If you to turn on the light, it would not scatter. While the venom begins to take effect, the wasp waits nearby. After waiting long enough, the wasp returns to her prey. Holding the roach’s antenna while vibrating her wing muscles allows her to sever the roach's antennae. Scientists think that, by tasting the roach's blood, she can gauge how effective her sting has been. Too little venom and the roach will recover before she is done with it. Too much and it may die too soon. Once satisfied, the wasp leads the zombie insect to her home. She probes the roach's body, looking for just the right place to lay her egg on it. The roach is not sustenance for her, but rather for her young. Now to protect the laid egg and roach from external invasion, she carefully seals the place with twigs and rocks. It can take her thirty minutes or more.

The roach remains alive and well but unable to escape. The egg will soon hatch. The young wasp will bore its way into the cockroach's body and consume its internal organs in the order most likely to keep it alive for as long as possible. One month later. A new wasp emerges. Ready to begin the process again.