Discovering 'pirate parasitism': Wasps can successfully exploit unsuitable hosts with help from another species

Discovering 'pirate parasitism': Wasps can successfully exploit unsuitable hosts with help from another species

Parasitoid wasps sometimes lay eggs in unsuitable host insects, a behavior that has traditionally been considered accidental. However, researchers at the University of Tsukuba have discovered that parasitism can still be successful in these cases—if another species of wasp lays eggs in the same host simultaneously. They have named this newly discovered parasitic strategy "pirate parasitism."