🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨

The samurai wasp is native to northeast Asia where brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) comes from. It was not intentionally released in North America, but got introduced accidentally, likely the same way as BMSB by being stowed away in shipping containers, planes or any other means of transportation.

The samurai wasp is adapted to parasitize stink bugs only. It cannot attack any other species.

These wasps are tiny, only 1/8 of an inch, about the size of a sesame seed. They cannot sting people and most people will never see them in nature. They track BMSB eggs flying around in tree canopies, hiding among leaves of crops or taking shelter under barks of trees. They are hard to find and see with the naked eye.