Pediobius foveolatus (parasitoid)

Pediobius • Eulophidae • Chalcidoidea (parasitoids) • Hymenoptera parasitoids • Beneficials/natural enemies

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larva of Epilachna varivestis parasitised by Pediobius foveolatus (click on image to enlarge it)
Author(s): Lou Nottingham
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Pediobius foveolatus adults (click on image to enlarge it)
Author(s): Lou Nottingham
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Pediobius foveolatus (parasitoid) (Crawford, 1912)

This wasp is found in southern Asia and has been introduced from Japan into North America against the Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis, starting in the 1970s and 1980s (Schaefer et al., 1983). It also parasitises other Epilachna species and is commercially available. It has become the most successful biocontrol agent against the Mexican bean beetle. However, it cannot survive freezing temperatures during the winter and might have to be released again the following year.

The female wasp lays around 20 eggs into an Epilachna larva. Parasitised beetle larvae stop feeding and turn brown after about a week. New wasps will emerge after about 2-3 weeks. The adult wasp is 2 mm long, black with a blue-green or golden sheen. The tibiae are white.

Synonyms:
Pediobius epilachnae