Fruit Flies Medicate Offspring With Alcohol

Copper Nikus writes "In yet another fascinating example of insects being smarter than we give them credit for, this article describes how fruit flies are able to fight back against deadly wasps by using alcohol. Quoting: 'These wasps lay eggs on the larva or pupa of the flies, and their offspring feed on the animal internally, often killing them in the process. (Flies have larval stages, during which we call them maggots, and pupate just as butterflies do before emerging in their adult form.) Once infected, there isn't much one of the larva can do to get rid of the parasite. Its one option: booze (abstract). Fruit flies, as their name implies, like to dine on fruit, especially during the larval stages. In many cases, that involves ingesting the alcohol that's produced by natural fermentation of rotting fruit (this can approach 20 percent alcohol content). Some species of flies have developed the ability to tolerate this alcohol as they chew through the fruit as maggots. But for most of the wasp species, even moderate levels of alcohol are toxic."

Re:Sounds familiar

[Cpt_Kirks]

Only when they go to Applebees.

Re:'Smarter'?

[Copper Nikus]

Per TFA, the female fruit flies prefer laying their eggs on alcohol containing food when the killer female wasps are around, but prefer non-alcoholic food when there are no wasps or when only male wasps are around. They can even tell the difference between different species of wasp. That is smarter than some people I know, let me tell you.