Bracon hebetor is a minute Braconidae

Braconidae

Braconidae is a family of parasitoid wasps and one of the richest families of insects. Between 50,000 and 150,000 species exist worldwide. The species are grouped into about 45 subfamilies and 1,000 genera, some important ones being: Ademon, Aphanta, Asobara, Bracon hebetor, Cenocoelius, Chaenusa,...

 wasp

Wasp

The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...

 that is an internal parasite to the caterpillar

Caterpillar

Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...

 stage of Plodia interpunctella, the Indian meal moth, in the late larval stage of the Mediterranean flour moth

Mediterranean Flour Moth

The Mediterranean Flour Moth, Indian Flour Moth or Mill Moth is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is a common pest of dry plant produce – especially cereals – and found around the world....

 and the almond moth

Almond moth

The Almond Moth or tropical warehouse moth is a small stored-product pest. It belongs to the snout moths , more specifically to the tribe Phycitini of the huge snout moth subfamily Phycitinae...

.

Use in biological control

The gut enzyme

Enzyme

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...

s from the Bracon hebetor wasp quickly destroy the blood

Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....

 protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

s in the moth larvae; thus it is an effective biocontrol

BioControl

BioControl is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media covering all aspects of basic and applied research in biological control of invertebrate, vertebrate, and weed pests, and plant diseases. The journal was established in 1956 as Entomophaga and published by...

agent.

Life cycle

At 30 °C (86 °F), the life cycle of the wasp is about ten to thirteen days from initial parasitism to final emergence of the adult. The adult female parasite lives about 23 days during which it produces about 100 eggs. It deposits 1 to 8 eggs in individual paralyzed late instar moth larvae.