emerges. Life cycle and appearance of Lesser mealworm The adult darkling beetle lays hundreds of eggs over the course of its life in cracks and crevices, manure
feed on plant sap and grow rapidly. When reproduction is sexual, the aphids lay eggs that overwinter. In greenhouses reproduction also takes place by par
the adults are encouraged to emerge in order to copulate and consequently lay eggs, restarting the cycle again.
since the cold reduces or halts their development. Damage symptoms The female lays small quantities of eggs, between one and three, in the hairs of green ears
males and sexually-reproducing females are produced. After mating, the female lays her eggs on leaves, flowers and stems to overwinter and produce the next
flies , at most only several millimetres long. When the adult females feed or lay eggs, they bore a hole using their toothed ovipositor, usually in the upper
distinctive feeding behavior that targets aphids . After the female wasp lays her eggs inside an aphid, the larvae hatch and begin to feed internally.
wasp piercing the aphid with her ovipositor, and sucking it empty without laying an egg. The small aphids are used for host feeding while the larger individuals