SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY

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Several species of braconid wasps exist. Some are very specific in the hosts they use, others victimize a range of insects. Those cocoons attached to the hornworm are the aftermath of the wasps having completed their larval state inside its body. Not only do they ultimately cause the demise of that one hornworm, but more importantly, that particular hornworm serves as the launching site for many more of these beneficial parasites. Other species zero in on cabbageworms and other pest species of moths.

The various kinds are found throughout North America. They range from yellowish to red or black in color and from a mere 1/10" up to 1/4" in size. They possess wicked-looking ovipositors, which resemble an exaggerated, long, curving stinger. But fear not, for this weapon is used solely for depositing eggs upon or inside the host.

The adults feed on nectar and can be drawn by small, single-blossomed wildflowers or flowering herbs. Provide a varied assortment to ensure blooms throughout the season.

Chalcid Wasps

Chalcid wasps are effective parasites against aphids, scales, mealybugs, and the larvae of many flying insects, such as beetles, moths, and butterflies. Found throughout North America, they are extremely sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and even dusty air. The level or control they can provide depends on favorable conditions. Like other parasitic wasps, the adults require small blossomed, single-blooming flowers for nectar. Including these in your gardenscape will help to attract these wasps.

Ichneumon Wasps

Though there are many species, on average they are streamlined, dark wasps with clear wings and long antennae. An oversize ovipositor is used only for inserting eggs into a host. Adults feed on host larvae as well as pollen and nectar. Along with their carnivorous larvae, they are effective parasites against many caterpillars. Ichneumon wasps are found throughout North America.

Predatory Wasps

Not all wasps are tiny or easily overlooked. Some, such as the mud daubers and paper — or social — wasps, can make themselves painfully obvious.The adults take back portions of their kill (caterpillars, spiders, and many other insects are fair game) to share with the rest of the colony. Those same stingers are used, not infrequently, to remind us humans that we are not the only workers tending the garden. Their size, some over an inch long, and their bright, contrasting yellow or white and black markings make them hard to miss.

Mud daubers are solitary wasps; they do not form colonies like the paper wasps. Instead, females lay eggs in individual cells that each plasters together with mud. They provide each cell in the nest with a paralyzed insect to nourish the larvae as they hatch and grow. Mud daubers are harmless to people, as they are not easily provoked to sting, but are serious enemies to insects.

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