Some parents go to extremes to protect their family — even packing heat. They ought to consider packing mites.
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The mites that dwell in specialized pocketlike structures of the species of potter wasp Allodynerus delphinalis serve as bodyguards, attacking other wasps approaching the brood, reports a new study.
Researchers had thought that the relationship between the mites and the wasps was solely parasitic — the mites were seen as mooching living space and food for their young without giving anything in return. But the new research, published in the July 2 Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests the relationship is a mutualism, benefiting both partners.