An interesting paper was published in 2013 in the journal PLoS ONE about sounds emitted by microgastrine wasps: "Characterization and generation of male courtship song in Cotesia congregata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). The paper included among its Supporting Information one audio-recording and two high-speed videos of the courtship song of a male of Cotesia congregata.
Apanteles fumiferanae Viereck is one the most important Microgastrinae wasps in North America -at least from a forest pest management perspective. Based on specimens available in collections, it is the most common braconid parasitoid wasp reared from the spruce budworm Choristoneura fumiferanae (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), which in turn is one of the major forest pests in the region.
One of the most commonly found parasitoid of caterpillars (moths and butterflies) are Microgastrinae wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae). They are small (usually 2-5 mm long), mostly black or yellow and with a rather short "abdomen" (metasoma). Due to its narrow host specificity (i.e., a wasp species often parasitizes one or just a few related species of caterpillars) the microgastrine wasps are a key component in the biological control of agriculture and forestry pests, and have also been extensively used in biodiversity, ecological, behavioral and molecular studies.
