parasitoid

A parasitoid is an organism, often a type of wasp or fly, that spends part of its life developing inside or on a host organism, such as a caterpillar or aphid. Unlike parasites, which typically harm their hosts without killing them, parasitoids ultimately kill their host as part of their life cycle. They lay their eggs inside the host, and when the eggs hatch, the larvae consume the host's tissues from within, leading to the host's death. This natural process helps control populations of pests and can be useful in biological pest management.