Jun 23, 2023
This is a beewolf, though it is not a bee nor a wolf, but instead a wasp :D
They have been using antibiotics to protect their larvae from fungi for around 68 million years. The mother beewolf breeds the bacteria from the genus stryptomyces in her antenne, and deposits them inside the brood of her larva. This larvae then weaves the bacteria into the silk of the cocoon it will hibernate in over winter, keeping it safe from fast spreading fungi that is present in the soil. (Beewolves are solitary digger wasps, creating nests for their larvae underground.)