Parasitoids, Michigan orchards

Integrated pest management resources for Michigan

IPM Scouting in Stone Fruit

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Parasitoids

Most parasitic wasps are minute (0.5mm) to small (5mm), and often develop inside their hosts making detection more challenging. Some recognizable signs of parasitism include: unusual host behavior, host color change, host mummification (hardened exterior), and the presence of emergence holes in the host.


Parasitized eggs are often darker in color than non-parasitized eggs, as can be seen here in a redbanded leafroller eggmass. (normal on left, parasitized on right)

Learn more about these parasitoids

Additional information

For more monitoring information and evaluation of available pesticides:
Michigan Fruit Management Guide
MSU Diagnostic Services for assistance in pest identification.
MSU Fruit Crop Advisory Team Alert newsletters for current pest/crop conditions.

This information was developed from A Pocket Guide for IPM Scouting in Stone Fruits by David Epstein, Larry J. Gut, Alan L. Jones and Kimberly Maxson-Stein. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference in the orchard from MSU Extension (publication E-2840).

The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated 7/24/07