Dictionary

cockroach wasp en · NOUN

Meanings

1. Any wasp of the family Ampulicidae, small sphecoid wasps that prey on cockroaches to lay their eggs on them.
   • The emerald cockroach wasp, Ampulex compressa, uses a cockroach as a host by essentially taking over its mind. 2007, Craig Childs, The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild:
   • Mainly found in the tropics, cockroach wasps have a metallic green body and measure up to 33 mm long.[…]When a prey is located, the female cockroach wasp stings the prey to paralyse it. 2011, Peter K. L. Ng, Richard Corlett, Hugh T. W. Tan, editors, Singapore Biodiversity, page 268:
   • Equally fascinating was a video shot by Norman Hoyle, the school's Deputy Head, which showed a cockroach having been stung by a cockroach wasp (Ampulex Compressa) - though I seem to recall that the locals had a different name for it. 2010, Lynas Murdoch, Four Years on St Helena, page 92:

Forms

Deriveds

emerald cockroach wasp

Relateds

ensign wasp