Yesterday we learned that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Today we are going to learn that the insect world is filled with weird insects that have strange behaviours. One of the wierdest has to be the life history strategies of the twisted wing parasite. You know it is messed up when even biologists named them “twisted”.
The twisted wing parasite actually has a complex life style. Only the males have wings, legs and are free living. The females never leave the host that they are living in (except in the Mengenillidae family). The females don’t have legs or wings. Let me back up a bit and tell you the interesting life cycle of the twisted wing parasites. It all starts with the little larvae (the immature stage of the insect). The larvae will climb onto some pretty flowers and wait for other insects to come and pollinate those flowers. When an insect like a bee lands on the flower the twisted wing larvae will jump aboard the insect and burrow into their body. At this point they will change into another stage of larvae and feed off the blood and organs of the poor unsuspecting host. At this point a male twisted wing parasite will emerge in order to find a mate. The male insect does not eat and only lives for about 5 hours. Their only goal is to find a female and mate. As mentioned, the female twisted wing parasite remains in their host so they will produce pheromones in order to attract their short lived mate. Only the head and thorax (body) of the female are sticking out of the host insect so once the male finds the female he will penetrate the area between the head and the thorax depositing his sperm directly into the abdominal cavity. The eggs will hatch and the larvae will move on looking for their very own host to take advantage of. At this point the whole cycle starts over again. Now if this does not weird you out then their is something wrong with you. I am just glad that the human life cycle is completely different then that of the twisted wing parasite.
Twisted Wing Parasite Fast Fact: In some species the female is able to reproduce without actually mating with a male. Oh and one more thing! These insects don’t just live in some remote, tropical area. We have them in USA and Canada.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Reference:
Twisted-Wing Parasites: Strepsiptera – Behavior And Reproduction
That is weird! What regions of Canada can these little cuties be found?
When I think of all the bees I took pictures of in my flowers; they may have been eating for two! Would the host insects even realize they have a hitchhiker on board?
I am not sure of the northern extent of these little guys but I do believe they exist from east coast to west coast.
Usually the host is not aware of the little “hitchiker”. With any good parasite the host has no idea they are being sucked dry. This is why the parasite can be so successful.
Thanks for the question!
I would assume the answer to my question is no…but you know what they say about “assume”. Can these parasites live on humans? For instance, if you were picking a flower and they jumped on you instead of an insect.
At the time they jump over…are they visible to the naked eye?
Thanks!
There has been no records of the Twisted Wing Parasite living on humans. There is no need to worry about these guys burrowing into you.
These bugs are generally not seen by humans. They are only a few millimeters long. Even though you may have them where you live the chances of seeing them are slim.
So go ahead and smell the roses. No need to worry!
I’m with Candy. Have these things ever been known to live on humans?
No record of living on the humans that I am aware of. I would be very surprised if they have ever been found in a human being.
No need to worry about this!
“the female is able to reproduce without actually mating with a male.” Damn sure glad that’s not true with the human species. That would mean we would no longer have control of the remotes. Actually we would only be good for taking out the trash. Speaking of which, tonight is trash night here in NY.
The blog is coming along beautifully and see the readership is going UP UP UP.
Must mean they like you or more so the Twisted Wing Parasite? 😉
hahaha! I couldn’t agree more with you. That would suck if females didn’t need us. Wait a minute, you get control of the remote in your house? You are a lucky guy!
Thank you for the nice words about the blog. I really do think people love the twisted wing parasite!
Have fun taking your garbage out tonight!
Hey Nathan!
I have nothing to say about the twisted things because I think that they are creepy. anyway, I love blue whales; they are magnificent. And don’t get me started on the eye-eye. My mom hates them and I always make fun of her for it. The eyes and the long finger freak her out. I think it’s funny. But then again, I don’t like spiders or bees….
hahaha! Yes, the twisted things are definitely a little creepy but it works for them.
I don’t understand how anyone could hate the aye-aye! They are so cute and lovable!!! The long finger is sort of freaky though!
How do you not like bees? I use to pet bumble bees when I was a kid. I think they are absolutely fascinating!
I don’t know about the bees. I’ve just never liked them; they totally freak me out. I think that it’s just a bit crazy to pet bumble bees.
hahaha… It isn’t crazy to pet them, they are furry and soft.
Everyone has their fears, it is what makes us unique!
Well that is one twisted little bug 🙂 But I do have to wonder exactly what is it’s purpose on this earth? Hmmmmm……..
That is a good question! I would presume they play some type of role to the ecosystem. They don’t pollinate flowers, they are not a major prey item for anything else. Maybe they have a way of keeping the population of insects such as bees and grasshoppers in check. That is the beautiful thing about nature. You never know what effect something will have until you remove it.
Thanks for this thought provoking question. You really have me thinking this morning!
One of my best friends has been fighting a twisted wing parasite infection for years. You need to let people know these things are freaking dangerous. He has been absolutely miserable and is about ready to throw in the towel. No one can help him as of right now. There are no treatments. It took years for anyone to even believe him.