Recently, a lot of stories about a vicious and somewhat frightening species of wasp that has some beneficial pest control traits have been trending on social networks.
The Ampulex dementor is a unique type of distinctively red-and-black wasp that was discovered in 2014 in the Greater Mekong River Subregion with 138 other new species of plants, animals and insects.
Mimicry and Mad Scientist Behaviors
These wasps, besides looking like dementors from the Harry Potter series of books and films, act in ways that some people might find disturbing:
- They mimic ant behaviors to trick other species into believing that they are ants.
- They inject venom into their prey, which are primarily cockroaches, to shut down neurotransmitter octopamine receptors needed to control spontaneous movement.
- They do turn their victims into essentially zombies that they can then lead around leash-style by the antennae back to their nesting and feeding areas.
Important Things to Remember
Although global travel and commerce might one day result in Ampulex dementor wasps finding their way into the United States, they are native to Thailand. Additionally, you should never consider them as a cockroach population eradication measure. Any NJ pest control professional will tell you that an exotic species can do more harm than good when introduced into a local environment.
Many other environmentally friendly and efficient pest control measures exist. Contact our experienced team at Allison Pest Control today for more information.