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| Tomato Hornworm with Wasp Cocoons Attached |
If you love tomatoes, then you have
to appreciate the work of a tiny wasp called a braconid wasp. This half-inch long beneficial insect is a parasitoid
- a parasite that relies on a host to feed its young. In this case, the host is the large, green
tomato hornworm. The adult wasp lays its
eggs inside the live hornworm. When the
eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the insides of their large green host, which is
at the same time, feeding on your tomato plants. Playing host to a nursery of young wasps slowly
shortens the hornworm’s lifespan. When
the wasp larvae mature a week later, they exit their host through its skin and spin
a silk cocoon on the outside the hornworm where they will pupate into adults. The tiny cocoons look like white eggs. Soon
an adult wasp emerges from each cocoon, and flies away to mate and search for
another hornworm host.
There are many different types of
braconid wasps and all of them parasitize other insects, including aphids and
other pests.
Although hornworms can wreak havoc
on your tomatoes, they are actually the caterpillar for the Spinx moth, a
large, beautiful moth.
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