Parasitic Worms Lead Praying Mantises to Roads, Study Finds

Researchers from Kyoto University have discovered that parasitic horsehair worms manipulate infected praying mantises into mistaking asphalt roads for water surfaces, leading to their deaths. The worms, which hatch in water and grow inside mantises, cause the insects to seek out horizontally polarized light, similar to that reflected by water. Experiments showed that infected mantises are more attracted to asphalt, which reflects similar light, resulting in a high infection rate among mantises found on roads. This study highlights the complex interaction between parasites and their hosts, influenced by human environments.