# Zombie Cockroaches and their Wasp Overlords. . . **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 10, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892 "2006-02-10T18:59:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/1 "2006-02-10T18:59:47Z")
No graphic pictures, but if you’re excessively creeped out by the idea of predatory insects, this might not be for you. [Link.](http://loom.corante.com/archives/2006/02/02/the_wisdom_of_parasites.php) ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/2 "2006-02-10T19:13:27Z")
That is too cool for words! We need more of these wasps. I hate roaches. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/3 "2006-02-10T21:04:37Z")
> [@Dolores Reborn](#): > > That is too cool for words! We need more of these wasps. I hate roaches. You hate roaches, but wasps that have evolved to take control of other animals’ brains are ok? I don’t know, roaches are definitely icky, but that wasp thing . . . that seems like an unsettling development. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/4 "2006-02-10T22:04:29Z")
I saw this on Wikipedia the other day, and I thought it was one of the most amazing things I’ve read in ages. Let’s just hope these wasps don’t get bigger and start zombifying people. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/5 "2006-02-10T22:14:09Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > I saw this on Wikipedia the other day, and I thought it was one of the most amazing things I’ve read in ages. > > Let’s just hope these wasps don’t get bigger and start zombifying people. Thanks. I didn’t think of that. Now I’ll have nightmares! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/6 "2006-02-11T00:12:32Z")
I, for one, welcome our new wasp overlords. Seriously though, this is astoundingly cool. I love a chance to marvel at the complexity of nature. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/7 "2006-02-11T01:08:34Z")
I think that if a wasp managed to get through my skull and inject vemon into my brain, I’d let its young grow in my body and eat my organs. Then again, that’s exactly what the vemon works so I guess the wasp wins either way. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/8 "2006-02-11T01:51:16Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > I saw this on Wikipedia the other day, and I thought it was one of the most amazing things I’ve read in ages. > > Let’s just hope these wasps don’t get bigger and start zombifying people. [Too Late!](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stampede-entertainment.com/postcards/monstermakers/alien-1-pl.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stampede-entertainment.com/postcards/monstermakers/alien-1.html&h=500&w=494&sz=37&tbnid=LAZ9ta7oRqS6_M:&tbnh=127&tbnw=125&hl=en&start=1&prev=/images%3Fq%3DALIEN%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DGGGL,GGGL:2005-09,GGGL:en%26sa%3DN) :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/9 "2006-02-11T03:29:35Z")
Hey, I can’t get the link to work and none of the keywords I’ve tried have been especially useful. How about a species name or somep’n? ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/10 "2006-02-11T03:40:09Z")
The name of the wasp is _Ampulex compressa_. The link is to Carl Zimmer’s [blog](http://loom.corante.com/). Zimmer wrote _Parasite Rex_, about the world of parasites. Maybe if you start with the main page of the blog, and drop down to February 2nd, the link will work. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/11 "2006-02-11T07:21:49Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Let’s just hope these wasps don’t get bigger and start zombifying people. I agree with this statement wholeheartedBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ PUNY HUMANS BOW BEFORE THE SUPERIOR LIFEFORM! BZZZZZZZZZ TAKE US TO THE JUICY HUMAN BRAINS ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/12 "2006-02-11T08:05:15Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > I saw this on Wikipedia the other day, and I thought it was one of the most amazing things I’ve read in ages. > > Let’s just hope these wasps don’t get bigger and start zombifying people. Oh, I dunno…I can think of people I’d like to quietly zombify, if I could. “Attenntionnn followwerrz…Al Qaaeda commaaandss you layy down your arrrrms and surrrennderr. Allah demaaands it…aand yourr juuuicy _braaains._” ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/13 "2006-02-11T14:09:58Z")
Oh, not wuite as unsetting as [this](http://loom.corante.com/archives/2006/01/17/the_return_of_the_puppet_masters.php). I knew those felines where up to something evil. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/14 "2006-02-11T20:50:38Z")
> [@Papermache Prince](#): > > The name of the wasp is _Ampulex compressa_. The link is to Carl Zimmer’s [blog](http://loom.corante.com/). Zimmer wrote _Parasite Rex_, about the world of parasites. Maybe if you start with the main page of the blog, and drop down to February 2nd, the link will work. thanks, that was an excellent read. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/15 "2006-02-11T20:52:30Z")
This does beg the question of how the wasp could have learned to zombify the wasp without knowing what it was doing – performing the equivalent of brain surgery by instinct. Can’t think of a more fitting fate for a cockroach, though. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/16 "2006-02-11T21:35:49Z")
[Here](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/AuntiePam/bug.jpg) is a somewhat blurry picture of one of these critters. Sitting outside one night a couple of summers ago, looked down and there he was. I jumped three feet. I thought he was a mutant dragonfly or something. They’re even uglier in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/17 "2006-02-12T05:45:47Z")
My memory’s fuzzy on this, but I remember seeing something on Animal Planet about a larvae that turns birds into “zombies,” and the birds who were infected actually had a better chance at survival than non-infected birds. Does anyone else remember this? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/18 "2006-02-12T05:50:16Z")
That’s reminiscent of phorid flies and fire ants. Whee! ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/19 "2006-02-12T06:20:29Z")
Amazing coincedence – it all includes Carl Zimmer Hmmm… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892/20 "2006-02-12T10:58:09Z")
Ooh, ooh… hot on the heels of puppeteering wasps comes the potential [human mind-control parasite](http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060211/sc_space/mindcontrolbyparasites)! The article says half of all humans are infected. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#Latent_toxoplasmosis) further claims that the parasite turns women into schizophrenic, manic-depressive sex kittens… Wow 😃 > [@Wikipedia's cited article #7](#): > > “Infected men, suggests one new study, tend to become more aggressive, scruffy, antisocial and are less attractive. Women, on the other hand, appear to exhibit the “sex kitten” effect, becoming less trustworthy, more desirable, fun- loving and possibly more promiscuous.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-cockroaches-and-their-wasp-overlords/343892.md?page=2)