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Braconid wasps
Cotesia congregata
39.3987, -81.6648
Field Notes
Description:
Very tiny; long antennae. My finger is included for scale in the fourth picture.
Habitat:
Eggs are laid in the bodies of caterpillars and other insects. The eggs hatch and then feed on the insides of the unfortunate insect. Once the larvae grow large enough, they will all eat their way outside the body, where they will then spin their cocoons. After about two weeks, they will emerge as adults. Actually, in this case, the adults took about six days to emerge from their cocoons.
Notes:
I am not 100% certain on the ID, but the species is a common parasitoid in my area. I have found other parasitized caterpillars and the wasps that emerged from those looked superficially similar.
The "Spotted on" date for these wasps is a bit tricky, since the caterpillar (http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/4954337) was parasitized before I collected it. For this reason, I have recorded the date as when the larvae emerged from the caterpillar.
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