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How do balloon fly larvae use spiders as hosts?
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Diptera
An adult housefly (Musca domestica) on a doughnut
Balloon fly larvae (family Acroceridae) utilize spiders as hosts through a specialized parasitic process. After hatching from eggs laid on leaves and flowers, the small, flat larvae actively seek out a spider. Once they make contact, the larvae board the spider and burrow into its body. Inside the host, they survive and develop as internal parasites, feeding on the spider's tissues.12