Hyperparasitism

Hyperparasitism is the parasitism of one organism of a parasitic species (the causative agent of the hyperparasite) inside another host organism without harm to the host. In other words, it is a parasitic relationship in which one parasite parasitizes the other. The opposite concept of parasitism is hypertrophy.

What is hyperparasirism? Hyperparasism is characterized by the fact that some types of parasites at one stage of development (egg development) feed on those individuals that support them at the next stage of development, feeding on these parasites. Examples are blood mites (Ixodes scapularis) and worm larvae, which attach to the larvae of bedbugs and some insects to chew through their shell and hatch. They, in turn, feed on the organic material of the wasp larvae.