Parasitic Wasps Sniffs with Its Butt
The parasitic wasp uses its ovipositor, located on their abdomen, to locate and then inject its eggs next to the larvae of a preferred another wasp deep within a fig (not a fruit but an inverted bunch of flowers). When the fig gives off a perfume that attracts pollinating wasps, the wasp will lay her eggs in the tiny flowers. The parasitic wasp bores into the fig with its ovipositor (reinforced with zinc) seeking a specific wasps galls (eggs) to insert its own eggs next too. The parasitic wasp’s ovipositor has olfactory sense receptor that detects a specific developing larvae carbon dioxide gas. The boring takes about an hour and her eggs need to be laid accurately because her progeny have to eat as soon as they hatch and are not able to hunt for their gall-bound hosts themselves. Wasps use their ovipositors to smell outside figs too.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/parasitic-wasps-sniffs-its-butt-randy-bilesky?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/community/blog-parasitic-wasps-sniffs-with-its-butt-1.20037261
