This
week’s Insects of the Week are two parasitoid wasps, an Inostemma sp. (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) and a Gastrancistus sp. (Hymenoptera:
Pteromalidae). These parasitoids are natural enemies of the canola flower midge
(Contarinia sp., Diptera: Cecidomyiidae),
a newly discovered fly species that uses canola as its host plant. The
parasitoids have been found throughout the Prairies emerging from infested
galls created by the canola flower midge. Little is known about these two
species, but parasitism rates as high as 30% have been noted in northeast
Saskatchewan.
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Gastrancistrus sp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)
(c) 2016 Boyd Mori, AAFC |
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| Inostemma sp. (Hymenoptera:
Platygastridae) (c) 2016 Boyd Mori, AAFC |
Submitted by Dr. Boyd Mori and Dr. Meghan Vankosky
Find out more about the natural enemies of the canola flower midge and more at the Insect of the Week page!