Cordyceps Bug Box

• Zombie ant pin
• Zombie fly pin (deep blue or limited edition blue-green)
• Zombie ant iron-on embroidered patch*
• Select species sticker sheet*
• Zombie tarantula sticker by guest artist GUTROT*
• Fact magnet
• Zombie ant postcard
• Zombie tarantula tote bag by GUTROT

* glows in the dark.

A mind-controlling fungus that controls its host's brain sounds like the stuff of science fiction - but in the arthropod world, the threat is real. ”Cordyceps” refers to hundreds of known species of parasitic fungi. Most are extremely host-specific, meaning each can only take over a certain kind of insect or spider. (Lucky for us!)

A typical Cordyceps spore lies in wait on the forest floor until touched by its obligate host. After penetrating the host’s exoskeleton and evading its immune system, Cordyceps consumes the creature from the inside as it grows. Eventually, the unlucky host is barely able to function. By then, its nervous system has been hijacked to perform one last task on the parasite’s behalf. The host is forced to seek out a final resting place that will become the optimal spot for Cordyceps to reproduce. Flying and climbing species will grip onto leaves or twigs, while ground-dwelling creatures like tarantulas or caterpillars climb to the top of their burrows.

The host dies at last, and Cordyceps bursts forth with fruiting bodies to disperse its spores back to the forest floor.

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