A ladybug's life isn't always an easy one, according to the following University of Montreal release:

Are ladybugs being overtaken by wasps? A Université de Montréal entomologist is investigating a type of wasp (Dinocampus coccinellae) present in Quebec that forces ladybugs (Coccinella maculata)

to carry their larvae. These wasps lay their eggs on the ladybug's

body, a common practice in the insect world, yet they don't kill their

host.

(Image: schick)

"What is fascinating is that the ladybug is partially

paralyzed by the parasite, yet it's eventually released unscathed,"

says Brodeur, who is also a biology professor and Canada Research Chair

in Biocontrol. "Once liberated, the ladybug can continue to eat and

reproduce as if nothing happened."

A larva cocoons between the

ladybug's legs and moves on once it matures. Brodeur is currently

studying the phenomenon at the Université de Montréal Institut de

recherche en biologie végétale. He hopes to understand the cycle

duration, success rate and the host-parasite relationship.

"Can

the ladybug refuse to be used? We don't know. Our plan is to reproduce

a variety of situations in the lab and see which is most favourable to

reproduction," he says.

Wasps aren't alone in offloading their

offspring, stresses Brodeur, since magpies look after the chicks of

great spotted cuckoos. The cuckoo visits the nests where it leaves its

young and kills those magpies that don't protect their offspring. And a

variety of parasite behaviours exist in the insect world, yet the

dynamic between the Dinocampus coccinellae and Coccinella maculata is unusual and one Brodeur hopes to better understand.