The Wasp That Reprograms Spiders

The video explores the parasitic relationship between Zatopoda Wasps and social spiders, Anelosimus eximius, in Ecuador. These wasps lay eggs on spiders, causing the spiders to exhibit ancestral behaviors like leaving their communal webs to build cocoons. The wasp larvae manipulate the spiders by injecting hormones, leading to altered web-building behaviors. This parasitism ensures the wasps' survival by providing a constant stream of hosts, effectively zombifying the spiders to serve the larvae's needs.

Describe the process that occurs after a Zatopoda wasp larva hatches inside a spider.

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What is the significance of the hormone injected by the wasp larva into the spider's hemolymph?

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