Beneficial Insects
![Trichogrammas]()
Trichogrammas
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Trichogrammas
Among the many species of parasites that are available, one of the most useful in the garden are Trichogrammas, or, as some call them, the Tricky Grandmas. These are stingless Egg Wasps which attack the eggs of moths and then prevent the egg from hatching into a destructive caterpillar. They are among the smallest of insects in the world, only about 1/32nd of an inch in length.
Trichogrammas can be purchased on the same type of card as lacewings, but instead of the moth eggs being dead, they each have the pupa of a Trichogramma in them. Each strip of Trichogrammas has about 18,000 of the stingless wasps on it, or about 3,000 per tab. Because they can fly (and because there are so many more of them), a tab of Trichogrammas will cover about 100 square feet of garden or planter bed. They can be placed out once a month during the spring and early summer, which will usually be enough to suppress any major caterpillar infestations. Trichogrammas really are the answer for any moth infestation problems.
Life Cycle:
Eggs are laid in moth eggs. Within a few days of hatching, the new adult Trichogramma wasps will chew their way out of the moth eggs and begin looking for more moth eggs on nearby plants. They have a voracious appetite, and will keep eating any eggs that are found.
