| Pediobius foveolatus | |
|---|---|
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| Pediobius foveolatus adult wasp | |
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| Pediobius foveolatus pupae from Mexican bean beetle mummy | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Eulophidae |
| Genus: | Pediobius |
| Species: | P. foveolatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Pediobius foveolatus Crawford, 1912
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Pediobius foveolatus (Crawford) (Fig. 1 and 3), is a tiny exotic parasitoid wasp that is used for biological control of Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis (Fig. 2), an important insect pest of snap beans, lima beans, and sometimes soybeans mainly found at economic levels in the eastern United States. Pediobius foveolatus is in the family Eulophidae, and is the most successful biological control agent for Mexican bean beetle. This wasp only attacks beetle larvae, not eggs or adults. It is commonly used by smaller, organic growers; but is also mass released throughout the state of New Jersey, by their state department of agriculture.[2][3]
Pediobius foveolatus was discovered in India, and is native to most of southern Asia and Japan, where it attacks a regional epilachnine crop pest, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata. In its native range, Pediobius foveolatus either overwinters in host larvae, or not at all due to the lack of a cold season. In the United States, however, Pediobius foveolatus cannot survive cold winter months because all North American hosts (Mexican bean beetle and Squash beetle, Epilachna borealis) overwinter as adults, not larvae. Therefore, P. foveolatus wasps die off each winter, and must be released annually in order to provide ongoing control of host beetles in the United States. Wasps are mass produced by, and can be purchased from, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and other commercial insectaries.[4][5][6]
Female Pediobius foveolatus lay around 20 eggs in a single beetle larva, and the wasp larvae hatch within the beetle larva, and begin to feed. This eventually kills the beetle larva, causing it eventually turn brown. The dead, brown beetle larva is called a "mummy"). Adult wasps emerge from the larvae after about 15 days, mate, and search for more beetle larvae to parasitize. Pediobius foveolatus wasps will also parasitize the larvae of squash beetle, Epilachna borealis, a closely related species that feeds on cucurbit crops. Pediobius foveolatus are extremely small, about 1-2mm long, and will not harm humans, beneficial insects, or any organisms outside the beetle genus Epilachna and its close relatives.[7]
- ^ "Taxon record Pediobius foveolatus (Crawford, 1912)". Universal Chalcidoidea Database. Natural History Museum. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
- ^ Nottingham, Louis; Kuhar, Thomas. "Pediobius foveolatus – A parasitoid of the Mexican bean beetle". Virginia Cooperative Extension. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ Stevens, L. M., A. L. Steinhauer and J. R. Coulson. 1975. "Suppression of Mexican bean beetle on soybeans with inoculative releases of Pediobius foveolatus." Environmental Entomology 4(6): 947–952.
- ^ Angalet, G. W., L. W. Coles, and J. A. Stewart. 1968. "Two potential parasites of the Mexican bean beetle from India." Journal of Economic Entomology 61(4): 1073–1075.
- ^ Ghani, M. A. and A. I. Mohyuddin. 1982. "Investigations on the natural enemies of Epilachna spp. in Pakistan." Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control, Pakistan Station.
- ^ Schaefer, P. W., R. J. Dysart, R. V. Flanders, T. L. Burger, and K. Ikebp. 1983. "Mexican bean beetle (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) larval parasite Pediobius foveolatus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) from Japan: field release in the United States." Environmental Entomology 12(3): 852–854.
- ^ Hudson, W., G. Robbins, M. Mayer, T. Dorsey, E. Rooney, and L. Bronhard. 2013. "Biological control of Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis, using the parasitic wasp, Pediobius foveolatus." New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Beneficial Insect Laboratory.