Let’s start with a little natural history: Certain insect species, wasps for instance, undergo a remarkable metamorphosis during their lives. First, the egg hatches into a larva, a small blob protected only by thin skin, defenceless against all predators. This is a most dangerous phase. That is why the larva begins to spin itself up and pupate as quickly as possible. Now the insect is well protected in its cocoon, shielded from danger in its gradually forming protective chitin armour that allows it to develop into a fully fledged creature. The cocoons hang on leaves, branches or in the woodwork. In wasps, this period usually lasts 15 days, as the famous natural scientist Jean-Henri Fabre, also known as the “Virgil of insect research,”observed at the end of the 19th century.…
