The Defensive Symbiosis of Bee Wolves

Insects live in symbiotic relationships with microorganisms that, for example, provide them with nutrients or help them defend against predators. A fascinating example of a defensive symbiosis is that between bee wolves—a genus in the family of digger wasps—and their symbiotic bacteria. The bacteria produce antibiotics for the bee wolves, which they use to protect the larvae in their brood chambers from pathogens in the soil. Learn more about this symbiosis, which has existed for 68 million years!