Love Vines are sinister; the carnivorous plants preys on wasp larva

Here's why love vine is making headlines:

You mean the parasitic creeper?
Yes. You got it right.


You like parasites, don’t you?
The love vine has a lot of medicinal uses in India. Did you know that?

Sort of, but why did you bring it up now?
Scientists have discovered something incredible about it.

It’s not parasitic?
On the contrary, it is far more sinister. It actually preys on wasp larva. It is a carnivore.

What?
You see, this wasp larva itself is a parasite. They hatch on trees, and a poison left by the wasp parent forces the tree to cover the larva up with its own plant tissue. The tissue forms a crib for the larva, which then sucks out nutrients from the tree, till it grows to become an adult wasp.

Okay. This is interesting.
Now comes the love vine, which is also growing as a parasite on the tree. When the vine finds the wasp larva covered in the plant tissue, it attacks the larva and draws nutrient out of it. In the process, the vine kills the growing insect.

Wow, so much drama — a parasite killing another. Didn’t I say you love parasites?
But scientists think this may show a way to cure cancer — getting one ill to cure another.

Let’s go step by step. Shall I grow some love vine on a balcony?
Now, let us not get carried away.