trichogrammatid

▪ insect

      any of a group of tiny, parasitic chalcid wasps, particularly of the genus Trichogramma, in the order Hymenoptera. Adults of Trichogramma species are less than 1 mm (0.04 inch) long, with pear-shaped wings having a single vein and fringing hairs and three-segmented tarsi. Females lay their eggs in the eggs of their host. When Trichogramma larvae hatch inside the host egg, they consume the eggs of their host. Trichogramma are important biological control agents. T. minutum, which is readily cultured in the laboratory, has been successfully employed against various lepidopteran agricultural pests.

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