Aphid parasitoid

There are many species of parasitic wasps which can effectively suppress aphid populations under certain circumstances. Adult wasps are small (typically 1-3 mm long), and usually brown-black in colour. There are many different species, which are difficult to tell apart. Female wasps insert their eggs into the bodies of live aphids, where the developing larva feed on aphid body fluids. The aphid is eventually killed and the new adult wasp cuts a hole in the skin and emerges, leaving behind an aphid 'mummy'. The activity of aphid parisitoids is often first detected by the presence of these 'mummies', which appear as swollen, bronze-brown coloured aphids.