Common name : Emerald cockroach wasp
Scientific name : Ampulex compressa
Family : Ampulicidae
Native to : Tropical parts of South Asia, Africa and Pacific islands
Interesting fact : The unusual metallic blue green colouring of this bug has given it the name ‘Jewel wasp’.
The jewel wasp is approximately 22 mm in length. Its mating habits and diet are quite unique. The wasp chews off half the antenna of the cockroach and then impregnates the cockroach by laying its eggs in the abdomen of the cockroach. Once these eggs hatch, they feed on the internal organs of the roach and finally create a cocoon inside the body of the roach, eventually to emerge as adults.
