Tuesday

Jewel Roach Wasp... Amazing!



On a recent trip I was excited to find a Jewel Wasp hunting on our dining room floor. Jewel wasps of this type don’t inhabit the U.S. mainland so I had never seen one. I quickly grabbed my camera and stealthily dropped to the floor. (Carol is a very understanding wife)
The jewel wasp is a lone hunter of cockroaches. In fact that’s why this beautiful bug was introduced in a 1940s bio control project into the rain forest I was visiting. Since these jeweled hunters don’t sting humans you might want to introduce the species into your area if you have a cockroach problem… well… wait until you hear the whole story on how the roach dies before you decide… I know it sounds impossible but you may feel sorry for the poor roach.
First the wasp injects venom into a specific nerve site which temporarily paralyzes the roach's front legs. This is done so the wasp can carefully insert its special stinger into the part of the roach brain that controls the escape reflex. The toxin it introduces only shuts down this single part of the brain. Now the roach will not attempt to escape. No other harm is done. The roach is then led like a well trained dog on a leash (the much smaller wasp clasps the roach’s antennae with its mandibles) into the wasp’s burrow. The wasp then lays an egg on the roach’s abdomen, covers the entrance with stones or dirt, then goes hunting again.
When the egg hatches the larva lives and feeds inside the roach for 8 days. It eats the organs in just the right order to keep the roach alive… It then forms a cocoon in the body. Later a full grown wasp breaks out of the roach’s body and the burrow to start hunting. 
Atheistic evolution has serious problems when it comes to complicated biological systems. And this system places a number of insurmountable obstacles in the path of evolutionary theory. The jewel wasp’s complex system includes special venom, a unique delivery system for the venom, knowledge of the roach’s brain and nervous system anatomy, the skill and knowledge to place the stinger into the nerve ganglion for the paralysis and then do the same into the brain of the roach. Systemic complexity is devastating to the notion of mindless evolution. There are billions of amazing complex systems in creation… Our Creator is amazing! There is a video about this wasp here.


Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,

12 comments:

  1. This is an awesome spectacle of our Lord's glorious and unfathomable mind on display in this tiny creation! I have painted a bit in my life. The satisfaction that comes from something looking remotely like the original is enormous! But in fact, I am only imitating what He has created from nothing! This has been a lesson for me in how He can love us in spite of our rebellion and sin. He loves what has come forth from His own heart and mind and loves most what is in His own image! He loves what can be like Him. How it must break His heart when His creation rejects Him. As ours do when our children rebel against us! Though I have given some paintings away—in love giving part of myself to someone I love--I find it strange that I miss them. How He must long for His own to come home! --Or for those of us who still live at home to simply stop and spend more time with Him in our busy running around--even if our service is in His own house. That was for me.

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  2. WOW! How can you read something like this and not believe in God! You would have to willfully reject God!

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  3. Yes, this predatory behavior is quite amazing. But how could this possibly be the creation of loving God? God clearly does not love cockroaches since He created this wasp to devour them alive and very slowly. No, I believe this speaks to wonderment of evolution - though perhaps in a more complex manner than simple random mutation in concert with natural selection. There is no need, and in this case good reason not, to bring God into it.

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  4. Thanks for the comment. It takes me back to my childhood when I would sit at the feet of my grandfather, a lifelong atheist, and listen intently as he extolled the intellectual virtue of atheism and dismissed the existence of a god. My grandfather was also knowledgeable about the Bible and theology. I credit him with helping to foster my natural curiosity, and promoting a desire to question and seek answers. That openness to learning ultimately led to my conversion to Christianity. Something, by the way, my grandfather had no problem with... Since those early years I have been an avid reader of both theology and biology.
    You imply that the wasp’s action breaches some moral standard. As an evolutionist what is your source for the moral standard you used to indict the creator of the wasp?
    I am always amused when an evolutionist uses moral conscience to ding God for creating predators, disease, disability, etc. when atheistic evolution has no root morality. In evolution the predator’s violence, human or animal, is what it is… not right--not wrong. Reversing your question shows the desert-like starkness of evolution: How could this possibly be the creation of a loving evolution? Evolution knows no love, mercy, or morality… The amorality of evolution drove the horrible crimes of Dr. Josef Mengele and his 20th century ilk. Moral conscience will always recognize atheistic evolution as inherently anti-moral...
    Those who read Christian theology know there is a clear Biblical reason for predation. In fact the reason predators continue to exist is found in the transitive attributes of mercy and grace flowing from the love of God. Immorality, with all its horrible effects, was introduced into physical creation by mankind, so it is mankind who carries the guilt of predation. It is the mercy of God in Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection that allows this complex, grievous, system to continue for a time. And this is only so that some of us will be saved from our guilt and its consequences. So... yes there is very good reason to bring God into this issue.
    I am very interested in the detail of your evolutionary scheme. Being an avid student of biology I must necessarily read evolutionists weekly. I would really like to study the evolutionary system you mention that specifically answers the problems, with supporting evidence, posed to evolution by the complexity of the Jewel Roach Wasp. I've never read an explanation anywhere. Frankly... I don't think an answer exists... But you are welcome to post it here for my readers to examine. Its easy to say, “No, I believe this speaks to wonderment of evolution - though perhaps in a more complex manner than simple random mutation in concert with natural selection.” But much harder to display the detail of this mysterious wonderment. If you cannot support your statement yourself then please post a link to the evidence specifically answering the peculiar evolutionary problems presented by the Jewel Roach Wasp. I await your evidence.

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  5. I have removed 2 comments by an anonymous person. As usual... when difficult facts and questions are raised casual atheists respond with insult, abuse,and immorality without adding anything to the discussion. Respectfully add to the discussion and your comments will remain whether I agree with you or not. Disrespect and you're gone.

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  6. I'll admit the second comment might have been inflammatory but I'm sad to see you dropped of the conversation of the second. Truly disappointing to give people some insight into the truth and have them try to erase evidence their claims might be absurd.

    So, do you still claim Man's eating of the tree of knowledge is the progenitor of the Predatory Model? Do you think the Earth is 5,000 years old or am I wrong in my assumption?

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  7. A quote from your first comment: "while the Christian plants his 'mustard seed of god's word/faith', that merely slowly eats the portion of the brain responsible reason and critical thinking." Anyone who speaks thus has rendered himself unworthy of further participation in this discussion.

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  8. Blog Anonymity: the fear that either my identity will soil my words or my words will soil my identity.

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  9. Again you delete my comments. I suppose the best way to deal with opposition is to pretend it doesn't exist? Would you like to know my name, address, social security number, phone number, credit card number?

    As I do not operate a blog on this network and for some reason this software is not recognizing my long abandoned user ids on livejournal and aim, I suppose I'll send you a link to my facebook and we can be friends online if that would make you happy.

    In fact, I'll write you an open letter and leave a link to it awaiting your responses instead of awaiting for you to delete things that challenge your opinions or beliefs. Ok?

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  10. I will engage you only once more to serve as an example for others who might write comments on my blog. Again, your manner has wounded your ability to involve yourself in this discussion on my blog. When I look past your bad manners at your comments I find nothing significant that has not been dealt with ad infinitum on other blogs and sites which are more apologetic in nature. This blog article gave you opportunity to opine about the questions raised by the complex behavior and biology of the jewel roach wasp. A complexity that was factually stated.
    In my comment I addressed a question of morality and predation (clearly a related subject) which was politely raised by a person of a differing viewpoint. My answer about the source of predation was communicated clearly. I raised more questions and invited further discussion and more information from this person. An invitation he has yet to take up.
    You have no such invitation and my answer to your second question is: no. Answer to your second paragraph: it would not. And in answer to your last question: please don't, it would waste your time and a little of mine.

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  11. That's definitely amazing. I didn't know that the jewel wasp is a lone hunter of cockroaches.

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  12. This is somewhat a rare species which can be really helpful in getting rid of cockroaches. I just wish that scientist can cultivate more of this bug.

    Pest Exterminator

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