Trichogramma evanescens
Trichogramma evanescens
Trichogrammas (Trichogrammatidae family) are a whole family of parasitic insects (micro wasps) that feed on the eggs of various agricultural crop pests. Trichogrammas are very small in size and do not exceed one millimetre.
Finding the eggs of the enemy (various representatives of the order Butterflies), the trichogramma lays in them one or several of its own eggs (depending on the size). The insect is very well adapted to the living conditions in which its host could be found. A few hours after laying, a larva hatches, and immediately begins to feed, destroying its host. When the larva completes its development, it turns into a pupa, and then into imago, which tears the shell of the host egg and flies away to give life to the next generation. One female lays up to 80 eggs in her lifetime.
The development of the trichogramma from egg to imago lasts about 10–15 days, which depends largely on external climatic conditions, and can stretch to three weeks at low temperatures.