Put the Crunch On Cutworms
(Page 2 of 2)
March/April 1987
By the Mother Earth News editors
Tachinid Fly (Tachinidae family)
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Range: Throughout North America
Description: Looks like a common housefly, about the same size (1/8" to 1/2") and color (gray-brown). There is one significant distinction: Houseflies don't have the prominent abdominal bristles that tachinids do. But these are hard to spot on a fly in flight, and tachinids are very active and quick fliers.
Modus operandi: Adult tachinids are fond of nectar and insect honeydew and are therefore often found on flowers or foliage. It's the tiny yellow larvae that prey on garden pests. These maggots eat the flesh of cutworms, sawflies, Japanese beetles, Mexican bean beetles, gypsy moths, grasshoppers, corn borers, and many caterpillars.
Tachinid larvae feed mostly on muscle tissue and fat, allowing their host to remain alive, though sickly, for a good while. Sometimes a host caterpillar will even live long enough to spin a cocoon or chrysalis before it dies. No moth or butterfly emerges from that tomb, though-just more tachinid flies!
A tachinid larva also has a remarkable way of assuring its respiration. It either attaches its rear end, which contains its respiratory organs, to the victim's tracheal system, of makes sure its bottom pokes out from the prey's body.
A tachinid mother means business. She has three ways of assuring meal tickets for her offspring. First, she may glue her eggs to the victim's skin, being careful to place them out of reach-right behind the victim's head. Second, she may lay them on foliage near host insects. The larvae will then hatch near their prey or even be ingested by the unwitting victim. Third, some tachinids (there are over 1,300 species) can hatch the young within their own bodies and then attach the larvae to a host. This tactic can backfire, though. If the mother doesn't find a good host, her offspring may devour her.
Sources: Tachinid flies are native to most areas of the U.S., so try not to spray your garden with any all-purpose pesticides. And never swat a fly in your vegetable plot unless you know for sure what it is.
The cutworm (inset) is probably the most common and troublesome early spring pest facing North American gardeners. The tachinid fly (right) preys upon these pests, which can also be controlled by paper collaring seedlings.
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