Ampulex Compressa Giganteus

Ampulex Compressa Giganteus, commonly referred to as queens, are the biologically and genetically modified wasps responsible for the zombie outbreak. Carlito unleashes these wasps on Willamette, zombifying almost the entire population. Dr. Russell Barnaby is one of the scientists who helped to create them, originally intended to cure a disease and curb a beef shortage.

Origins and Significance
The Ampulex Compressa Giganteus originated from the region bordering the Pachacamac River near the Central American town of Santa Cabeza. A U.S. government funded research facility was established in the town, whose scientific personnel, lead by Dr. Russell Barnaby, aimed to find a way to accelerate reproduction of the local cattle population for rapidly increasing American consumer demand. During their research, they discovered the species' presence. It was a previously unidentified and undiscovered species of insect. Though the species was much larger and more aggressive than it's similarly resembled wasp and bee counterparts, the laboratory staff referred to them as such when speaking casually. The team also witnessed first-hand the insect's birth process and it's dependency upon host species to live. The wasps also posessed their own version of queens, mature insect matriarchs who conduct the hosting process.

Dr. Barnaby and his research team were going to harness the species and use its abnormal but useful properties to accelerate the production of meat. They experimented on rats and cattle to see what the new species would do to its host. Unfortunately a queen escaped the facility; instead they witnessed the horrifying effect the species had on humans.

The fully grown ACG specimens appear to have an adverse effect on human hosts, or "zombies", as they can make their heads explode if crushed. This could be to do with pheremones.

Life Cycle: The Parasitic Process

 * 1) A fertilized female incubates its eggs within the womb.
 * 2) When the parasite discovers a potential host (generally the South American butterfly known as Thysania Agrippina), it injects an egg into the hosts body.
 * 3) The virus injected along with the egg effectively prevents the host's immune system from recognizing the contamination, facilitating the larva's growth while keeping the host's physiology blissfully unaware of the danger lurking within.
 * 4) The larva excretes a parahormone that stimulates the host's appetite, then absorbs the resultant nutrients to fuel its own growth cycle.
 * 5) Once the parasite has grown to the appropriate stage, it devours the host from within, emerging from its cocoon as a full-fledged adult.

Dead Rising
Queens are first encountered by Frank inside the warehouse around 6pm. Before it can sting Frank, he swats it out of the air and stomps on it, causing all the surrounding zombies to immediately die. After this, queens can be found anywhere on certain zombies and can be used to kill large groups of zombies. These zombies stand in the same spot and move their arms in the air, almost like they are yawning, and will sometimes throw up blood (stunning Frank if he comes in contact with it), then will fall to the ground and their heads will literally explode. Zombies that have a queen attached to them in them are immune to its effects. When Frank drinks a nectar juice, a queen will automatically be attracted, and queen zombies become more common. The queen can be picked as if an ordinary weapon and will be stored in a jar which can then be thrown at the ground near Frank or in the distance. The queens will not harm Frank. However, at night the queen larvae which are glowing green that come out of the zombies killed using the queen will jump at Frank, but barely causing any damage. The queens, specifically ten, are used by Isabella to temporarily halt the zombie infection on Frank along with other ingredients in after the Special Forces invade and the survivors escape the mall.