Halticoptera circulus

These are wasps getting out of a cabbage white caterpillar.
Maybe you remember that you, if you have, a gardener, you'll hate these caterpillars to death.
The truth is that most of them won't make it...most of them won't be butterflies. For a sad fact these caterpillars are easy to find by birds, so they eat them.
so do the parasites. There are many parasites that infect them.
The problem is that once they are infected they usually eat faster and grow up faster.
And now comes the sad part of the story.
They go looking for a place to pupate, and once they find, they stop and die, because the larvae, eat them alive, and then they go out of the skin and they get on eggs (yellow or white).
Although this wasp is even worst.
They stand inside the caterpillar for safety, the caterpillar makes the pupa, and then once the pupa is made the wasp larvae eats the caterpillar inside the pupa, so this way they are protected from the enemies.
when the some comes they go out. these shots have like 2 months..it was before the christmas.

So I can say that just 10% of all the caterpillars of cabbage white really make as butterfly.

Muito fixe. Gosto de coisas que nos não conseguimos ver mas a câmara consegue . SergioDC · 2012-02-29: 16:40

Great shots !! finbarr · 2012-02-29: 17:09

cool. storytaylor · 2012-02-29: 17:30

Thannks for the unique report and shots Ricky! danrav · 2012-02-29: 17:43

sweet macro... Yves51 · 2012-02-29: 18:29

The way of nature can at some times seem cruel...but there is always a purpose... Excellent shots....interesting story.... lookagain · 2012-02-29: 19:57

Fantastic macors here digitalideas · 2012-02-29: 22:20

Wow, cool macros. NoraSabino · 2012-03-01: 08:30

Cool captures mystic1 · 2012-03-01: 09:20

yukkkkkkk........good work...ha ha ha curlyq60 · 2012-03-01: 13:56

yukkkkkkk........good work...ha ha ha curlyq60 · 2012-03-01: 13:56

Tagged: wasp cabbage white caterpillar macro pupa cocoon