BRACONID

any member of the family Braconidae (order Hymenoptera), a group of more than a thousand parasitic insects. Most species are dark or dull in colour and relatively small, seldom exceeding 1.5 cm (0.6 inch) in length. The wings are sometimes banded or spotted. The ovipositor, or egg-laying organ, of the female is long and conspicuous. Many species are valuable in the control of insect pests. Apanteles glomeratus, for example, parasitizes the larvae of the destructive white cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae) and those of the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni). Apanteles congregatus parasitizes the tobacco hornworm (Protoparce sexta) and the tomato hornworm (P. quinquemaculata). Some braconids attack wood-boring pests such as beetles of the families Buprestidae and Cerambycidae. The braconid Chremilus rubiginosus attacks the granary weevil (Sitophilus granarius). In the Mediterranean region Opius concolor is a parasite of the olive fly (Dacus oleae), a destructive pest of commercial olives. The female braconid lays its egg or eggs in the larvae or eggs of the host. The braconid larva remains within the host's body at least until it enters a resting stage (pupa). The pupa may be formed in the body of the host or attached to the outside or it may be separate i.e., on a leaf or stem. As many as 150 larvae may develop in a single host.