Gall wasp
Gall wasp
Invertebrate
A tiny wasp that causes oak trees to grow strange, round structures called galls.
💡 Fun Facts
- The female wasp lays an egg inside an oak leaf bud, tricking the tree into growing a protective 'gall' around it.
- The developing wasp larva lives safely inside the gall, eating the nutritious tissue.
- There are hundreds of species of gall wasps, each creating a uniquely shaped gall on the tree.
Name Story
Biorhiza pallida
means “the pale one that lives in the roots”
What does its name mean?
- Biorhiza — life-root (living in roots)Greek (bios, 'life' + rhiza, 'root')
- pallida — paleLatin
This pale little wasp leads a hidden double life: one generation grows secretly inside swellings on an oak tree's roots underground, while the next makes the spongy "oak apples" you can spot up among the twigs.
📄 Educational Handout Available
Download the printable infographic: Bees vs Wasps
📄 Educational Handout Available
Download the printable infographic: Wax Castles vs Paper Palaces (Nests)