Beaded Lacewing Larvae Kill Termites With Farts, Then Feast On Their Bodies

In a combination story between Damn nature, you scary, and Damn nature, you funny, we have this, the beaded lacewing. In a new report from IFLScience, they’ve uncovered new information from the recently published book, “Does It Fart? The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence,” by Dr Nick Caruso and Dr Dani Rabaiott that the larvae of the beaded Lacewing has taken silent but deadly to a new height.

According to the story, termites love to feast on the freshly hatched eggs of the lacewings, but the larvae have evolved a special talent to defend against the predatory insects. When a termite approaches, the lacewing farts out a vapor-phase toxicant called an allomone. This fart is strong enough to take out up to six termites in one wiff. While it doesn’t outright kill them, it paralyzes them, turning the tables and allowing the larvae to slither over and feast on termites themselves.

There. Now you have something interesting to mention at dinner tonight.