Larra (wasp)
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Larra (wasp)
''Larra'', also known as mole cricket wasps or mole cricket hunters, is a genus of wasps that prey on various species of mole crickets. They have gained prominence as integrated pest management agents. Distribution Members of this genus are found worldwide, particularly in the tropics. Life cycle ''Larra'' wasps feed on nectar as adults. Female wasps hunt adult or late-instar mole crickets and lay their egg (biology), eggs upon them, first temporarily paralysis, paralyzing them by stinger, stinging them on the underside. The larva, upon hatching, gradually consumes the host, eventually killing it. It then pupates in or near the remains. The adults are solitary and do not form colonies. Incubation and development are highly variable in length and dependent upon temperature; in winter, the larvae may enter diapause. Each ''Larra'' species preferentially hunts a particular set of prey species, even when related prey is available. The temporary paralysis of the host is a distincti ...
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Larra Bicolor
''Larra bicolor'' is a parasitoid wasp native to South America. It was introduced into Florida as a biological pest control of invasive mole crickets. Description Adult females of this species are about 22 mm long, with the males somewhat smaller. The head and thorax are black, with silver markings on the head; the abdomen is red. The wings are variable in color, of a dusky hue. Life cycle These wasps feed on nectar as adults, with the shrubby false buttonweed ('' Spermacoce verticillata'') preferred. Females hunt mole crickets in the genus '' Scapteriscus'', stinging them on the underside to paralyze them for several minutes. A single egg is deposited between the first and second pairs of legs. The wasp then flies off, and the cricket returns to its burrow. Nymphs and adult crickets are attacked, as long as they are large enough. Upon hatching, the larva feeds upon its host, eventually killing it. It pupates within 12 to 30 days (depending on temperature), forming a cocoo ...
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