Parasitoids are among the most widely used biological control agents. Parasitoids lay their eggs on or in the body of an insect host, which is then used as a food for developing larvae. The host is ultimately killed. Developing in or on a host requires the parasitoid to have very specialized methods to attack, feed on and avoid the host’s immune system. This high level of specialization means most parasitoids only attack one or a few closely related species. Parasitoids perform an important ecosystem service by suppressing pest populations. The majority of pests are attacked by at least one parasitoid.. Wasps and flies contain the vast majority of insect parasitoids. There are over 70,000 parasitoid species across the globe.
