Tag: parasitoid
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Question of the Week – Tachinid Fly Eggs
What is on the head and back of this leaffooted bug? The oblong, white objects on this leaffooted bug (Leptoglossus oppositus) are eggs of a parasitoid fly (Trichopoda pennipes), which will hatch and consume the leaffooted bug. Usually when we discuss parasitoids in pest management we are referring to small wasps, but flies in the…
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Question of the Week – Parasitized Aphid
What is the bloated tan thing found on the underside of this strawberry leaf? This is an aphid “mummy,” the lifeless body of an aphid that has been parasitized by a parasitoid wasp. Typically, the adult wasps are tiny, at only 0.08-0.12 inches long. The female wasp lays its eggs inside of the aphid. The…
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Question of the Week – Parasitic Wasp Cocoon
This week, the question was: What is this brown oval object on the underside of this napa cabbage leaf? This is the cocoon of a parasitic wasp (Microplitis plutellae) that attacks and kills diamondback moth larvae. This wasp will lay an egg inside of the caterpillar, where the wasp larva feeds before emerging from the…
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Question of the Week – Parasitoid Wasp
This week, the question was: What happened to this aphid? This aphid has been parasitized by a tiny parasitoid wasp. Parasitoid wasps lay eggs in a host, like this aphid. As the egg hatches and the larva develops, it causes the aphid to swell, making it appear bloated. When the larva matures, it bores out…
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Question of the Week – Parasitoid Wasp
This week, the question was: Why is there a hole in the rear of this bloated-looking aphid? This aphid was parasitized by a tiny parasitic wasp. An egg was laid in the aphid by an adult female wasp using its ovipositor (stinger). Once the egg hatched, the wasp larva developed within the aphid, feeding on…
The South Carolina Grower 