Do Zombie Pests Exist?

One of the top hit television shows is all about zombies. A zombie is a fictional undead person. Someone that has died but their body is still able to function and move because it feeds on the blood or brains of a living person. Zombies don’t actually exist but there are some pests that are called zombies and for good reason. A zombie pest is usually an ant or a ladybug and the change in them has to do with the environment that they are living in and around.

Eagle Pest Services Explains What A Zombie Ant & Ladybug Are

Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis Fungus & Zombie Ants: The zombie ant is not a particular ant but just one that is around a specific type of fungus. The ant is just as normal as ever and will be found working with their colony as usual. When you see an ant that has gone off course and started to do its own thing you have to know that something is wrong. Ants are predestined to work almost like a robot. They know what their task is what they need to do each and every day. All it takes for an ant to become like a zombie is to take a bite of the fungus in the Ophiocordyceps genus. This fungi is known as the zombie plant and when an ant takes a bite of it the organism will take over the nervous system of the ant. The ants no longer will work alongside its family and will go rogue because of the fungus. The goal of the fungi is to scale vegetation nearby so that it can lay down its spores in an area to grow. The spores make the ant crawl up the vegetation and take a big bite of the leaf or twig that is nearby. That is why it is considered a zombie ant because it is no longer doing what it should do and is following the directions of the fungus instead. The last step in the fungi’s plan is to now sprout which happens to come from the branch that it has bitten into through the back of the ants head causing its untimely demise.

Zombie Ladybug Parasitic Wasp: Ladybugs are considered good luck in some cultures. They are also a beloved pest that kids enjoy on a nice summer day. One place that they are welcomed in abundance is in gardens across the country. They are a natural pest control strategy feeding on aphids that kill gardens and crops every year. Unfortunately, ladybugs can be taken over by a wasp that needs the ladybug to carry its egg. A wasp deposits the egg in a ladybug as well as a virus. The problem is the larvae will feed on the ladybug but it won’t die. The virus allows the wasp baby to take over and run the nervous systems. When the wasp is ready to come out it will create a cocoon under the ladybug and stop it from moving until out comes the new wasp. The ladybug will not win that battle.

Professional Pest Management

If you are dealing with unwanted ants, wasps or other pests in your home, business or property, call Eagle Pest Services today to have your premises treated right away!