Beware the crypt keeper - A wasp with a gory life-cycle that targets many victims

A parasite called the crypt-keeper wasp isn't too picky about who it targets when looking for a good host, according to international research, which found that the wasp will happily lay its eggs into at least seven different species. The crypt-keeper is already known to target a wasp that lays its eggs into oak trees known as a 'crypt-gall wasp', manipulating the gall wasp to plug the 'doorway' of the gall with its own head so that the crypt-keeper can eat its way out, right through the body of its hapless victim. According to the team, the crypt-keeper wasp has six previously unknown targets for this same gruesome treatment, which flies in the face of current expectations that it would have a single specific host, and may be due to a preference for hosts based on their lifestyle and behaviour.