Tachinid Flies are members of the larger fly family Diptera. As adults, these spiky insects can be found on flowers, drinking nectar. The female lays her eggs on or very close to a caterpillar. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the caterpillar. The host slowly dies as the larvae continue to feed, grow and prepare to pupate. They pupate underground and emerge as adults, ready to visit flowers and sip nectar. If a Tachinid Fly parasitizes a moth caterpillar, well, that is part of the circle of life. However, some Tachinid Flies parasitize butterfly caterpillars, including the monarch. That makes them nasty, vicious little bugs.
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