User:356legault/Sandbox

Among the natural predators of A. verbasci, one of the most well-studied is the parasitoid wasp Laelus pedatus Upon discovering an A. verbasci larva, a female wasp will land on the larva’s dorsal side and attempt to line up its long, stinger-like ovipositor for a paralyzing blow to the thorax. In response, the larva will erect long hairs on their abdomen and attempt to brush these hairs against the encroaching wasp. The hairs detach and stick to the wasp on contact, presumably causing some sort of irritation. Evidently, such irritation is not enough to deter an attack on A. verbasci larvae, as the vast majority of attacks are successful. Such a defense, however, has been shown to be effective for the closely related species Anthrenus flavipes, which has slightly longer hairs than A. verbasci

After a single successful sting, the beetle is permanently paralyzed. The entire process from landing to complete paralysis lasts approximately 40 seconds. Interestingly, L. pedatus does not lay eggs immediately after the beetle is paralyzed, waiting as long as 24 hours before oviposition. During this time, she grooms herself, removing any hairs that might have stuck to her during the attack. During this lengthy process she appears to monitor the larva’s state of paralysis by repeatedly biting it and monitoring its reaction. Once sufficiently clear of hairs, the wasp creates a bare patch on the larvae’s abdomen and lays 2-4 eggs. Eggs hatch in 3-4 days and the larvae feed on the beetle for 3-7 days, eventually killing the host. They then spin cocoons near the empty shell of the host, emerging some time later as an adult wasp.