Today I learned more about Wasp Parasitizer Moths, in the genus Chalcoela.
Why do something dangerous like be out in the open for days eating cabbage leaves when you instead can be inside a *wasp nest* eating *wasp larvae*.
Respect.
(The moths are among candidates being considered for paper wasp biocontrol in the Pacific including NZ.)
https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/29597
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19811.02086
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/assets/Events/biosecurity-bonanza/2024/29-July-24-Brown-Biosecurity-bananas-paper-wasp-biocontrol.pdf
#Chalcoela #moths #NaturalHistory #mothodon #Lepidoptera #entomology #TIL