Attracting beneficial insects to our gardens to help control the pest insect population is an effective way to eliminate the need for pesticides. You can read more about it in our article on Companion Planting. But one beneficial insect in particular has quite a peculiar method for eliminating some of our nasty garden pests.

That insect? The braconid wasp.

Yes, I am in fact telling you that you should attract wasps into your garden.

The braconid wasp is much smaller than the yellowjackets you are probably picturing at this point. They are only about 2mm long, come in brown and black varieties, and have the general look of a wasp with narrow waists and translucent wings. Not quite as scary at that size, right?

How Braconid Wasps Eliminate Pests

The braconid wasp is what us gardeners consider a beneficial insect. They perform the duty of pesticides in our gardens without the need for chemicals. Unlike many of the other beneficial insects we talk about, the braconid wasp does not feast on the pest insects. Instead, it lays eggs within the pest insects. The newly formed host insect continues going about its life until the wasp egg hatches inside the body. From there, the wasp larvae kill the host from the inside out, feeding on the body of the pest insect.

The fun does not stop there.

When the host insect finally dies, their bodies mummify. The larvae attach this mummified body to a leaf with a string of silk and continue to reside in the host as they pupate. Once they are ready to emerge from their cocoon, the now adult braconid wasp forms a small hole in the mummified lining to escape.

How cool is that?

The mummified bodies look a bit like puffed rice on your plant leaves. If you see them, leave them be. It means your pest control is working.

Which Pests the Braconid Wasp Controls

Braconid wasps get their elite status for aphid control. Much of what was written in the previous section describes the process of eliminating aphids in your garden.

Beyond aphids, the braconid wasp also controls cabbage worms, tomato hornworms, beetle larvae, and flies. While the process is the same for controlling each of these pests, the appearance of the mummified bodies will be a bit different.

How to Attract the Braconid Wasp

In order to have braconid wasps control pests in your garden, you first have to attract them to your garden with abundant food sources.

Adult braconid wasps feed on flower nectar and pollen. But due to their small size, you want to use small flowers to get their attention rather than large, overbearing flowers. Many herbs produce the right size of flowers for this beneficial insect including catnip, chamomile, feverfew, and members of the carrot family which include dill and fennel.

The best part about using herbs to attract braconid wasps? Herbs also act as a pest repellent! So not only are you attracting an insect that will keep pests at bay, you are also helping to prevent the problem in the first place by using herbs in your garden. Again, you can read more about this companion planting technique here.

What All This Means

Overall, attracting the right insects to your garden can keep your plants happy and healthy by eliminating those pest insects that damage crops. In the case of the braconid wasp, you not only get a great pollinator, you also get pest control for a variety of pest insects that can wreak havoc on your crops. Further, the plants needed to attract these insects provide their own level of pest control. Braconid wasps do not damage crops and have no interest in eating your peppers and burrowing into your cabbage. They should be a welcome addition to any garden.