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Trichogramma sp.
There are many beneficial species that parasitize caterpillar larvae or eggs. Trichogramma wasps have been used to control caterpillar pests in a range of horticultural and field crops throughout Australia. The adult female lays eggs inside moth eggs and the developing wasp larvae feed inside the egg case. The parasitised egg turns black and the moth larva fails to hatch and emerge. Instead, one or more parasitic wasps emerge from each moth egg. Adult Trichogramma are brown-yellow with red eyes and about 0.5 mm long, although their small size makes them difficult to identify in the field. Pests targeted by Trichogramma wasps include Helicoverpa, codling moth, cabbage moth, lightbrown apple moth, loopers and many more.
