Imagine a caterpillar.  Nice and cosy in its chrysalis and then along comes a wasp who lands on the chrysalis shell, injects some eggs into the chamber and flies away.  A couple of months later, what emerges is not what one would expect… instead of a caterpillar, a handful of tiny wasps.

Parasites might not be the most cute and cuddly critters but they do have an important role to play in the natural world – they are an essential part of the food chain.  Gavin Broad, of our Invertebrate Investigators team, explains why we should be more interested in this diverse group of insects and highlights why it is important to conserve them and more importantly, fill the parasitoid wasp genome gap!

🐝🦋🐛 Read more about Gavin and his research here 🐝🦋🐛