Summary
Tiny samurai wasps hunt down the eggs of crop-wrecking stink bugs, laying their own eggs inside. Deep Look shows how this natural pest-fighter keeps stink bug numbers in check without any chemicals.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
Samurai wasps lay eggs inside stink bug eggs, so fewer stink bugs hatch. This link between the two species controls stink bug numbers -- one way living things in a habitat depend on each other.
- How do samurai wasps keep stink bug numbers down?
- Why might farmers be glad these wasps are around?
- How are the wasp and the stink bug connected in their habitat?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: parasite, host, control, interact.
Try it: Draw an arrow from wasp to stink bug egg. Write one sentence about how one animal affects the other's numbers.