Researchers Find Wasp that Uses Ant Skeletons to Construct Nest

A species of spider wasp called 'Bone-house Wasp' stuffs its nest with ant skeletons to ward off attackers, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Freiburg, Germany, and colleagues discovered the macabre nesting practice in subtropical Chinese forests. The team said that the scent of the ants probably prevents potential attackers from harming the offspring of bone-house wasp.

The team has given the wasp a gruesome name - Deuteragenia ossarium - after ossuary, a site where human bones are stored.

The team analyzed bone-house wasp nests and found that all of them had outer chambers filled with ant remains. Researchers said that this is the first time that skeleton-stacking behavior has been observed in the animal kingdom, according to a news release.

The female wasps don't eat ants, according to Reuters, but use the skeletons to leave a false scent - trail near their nest. The scent of ants prevents predators from attacking the D. ossarium's brood.

Researchers found that the several skeletons in the outer chamber belonged to Pachycondyla astuta, which is an aggressive ant species, Livescience reported.

"Most of the ant specimens belong to a big ant species with a powerful sting. So the female wasp has a certain risk of getting injured or killed," said Michael Staab, a biologist at the University of Freiburg in Germany, Reuters reported.

Several species of wasps build nests. Previous research has shown that most nest-building wasps use a specific design to construct homes for their offspring. The nest has several cells, each separated by a thin wall of soil or resin. The cells have wasp eggs along with pieces of insects that act as a source of nutrients for the offspring. The outer wall of the nest is usually an empty vault-like chamber.

Researchers have now found that nests of D ossarium have ant remains in the vestibular chamber.

Other species of wasps also have macabre nesting practices. The parasitic wasp Dinocampus coccinellae injects its larvae into a ladybug, making it a living nest for its offspring. Over time, the larva bores a hole through the ladybug to enter the world.

The banded cat-eyed snakes, leaves its eggs in the nest of leaf-cutter ants to protect its offspring, Livescience reported.

The study is published in the journal PLOS One .