The jewel wasp looks like an alien straight out of a sci-fi horror movie — at least to a cockroach that has the misfortune of crossing paths with a female about to lay its egg. Tracking the cockroach by sight and smell, the female wasp immobilizes it with a quick, sharp jab to the underbelly, paralyzing the roach’s legs with venom. While the cockroach lies defenseless, the wasp re-stings the cockroach, this time in the neck, then uses surgeon-like precision to guide its stinger to precise spots in the cockroach’s brain to inject its toxin.

https://youtu.be/WU0270PKyOE

Frightened? Intrigued? Watch the video below, and check out more footage of the jewel wasp in action!