FGMN Nursery
FGMN Nursery
Aphidius colemani
Aphidius colemani
Regular price
$54.00 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$54.00 USD
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Aphidius colemani is a small, non-stinging parasitic wasp that serves as a high-precision biological control for several common aphid species. Unlike predatory beetles that eat aphids whole, Aphidius works by "parasitizing" the aphid. The female wasp lays an egg inside the aphid; the egg hatches and consumes the pest from the within, eventually turning the aphid into a hard, tan-colored "mummy." This wasp is an incredible scout, capable of finding even a single aphid in a large canopy.
Field Notes
Aphidius colemani
The beneficial
Species
Aphidius colemani
Common name
Aphid parasitoid
Type
Parasitic wasp — endoparasitoid
Size
2–3mm. Small dark wasp, narrow-waisted. Does not sting people
What does the killing
Successful parasitism, and only that. Aphids do drop off leaves and pause feeding while a female works a colony, but field trials show that disturbance alone does not reduce the population. Count mummies, not activity
How it works
Female lays a single egg inside a live aphid. The larva develops internally, kills the host, and the aphid hardens into a papery bronze mummy glued to the leaf. A new wasp chews out roughly a week later
Egg to adult
Roughly 2 weeks at 70°F; mummies appear in about a week
Adult lifespan
2–3 weeks with a sugar source, considerably less without
What it eats
Hunts
Small-bodied aphids — green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) and cotton/melon aphid (Aphis gossypii) above all, plus other Aphis and Myzus species
Best against
Small, scattered, early aphid colonies. Searches efficiently at low density, where sprays and predators both do worst
Also eats
Nectar and honeydew — adults need a sugar source. Flowering plants nearby extend adult lifespan
Eats opportunistically
Nothing else. No alternate host outside aphids
Won't touch
Thrips, whitefly, mites, mealybugs, scale, fungus gnats. Potato aphid and foxglove aphid — it will sting them, but it cannot develop inside them, so the aphid survives and keeps reproducing. Use Aphidius ervi for those two
What arrives
Sold by
Count
Ships as
Mummies
Where it works
Optimal temp
65–80°F
Humidity
50–80% RH. No high-humidity requirement
Light
Needs daylight to search and fly
Establishes
Yes, while aphids are present. Population collapses when hosts run out
Running it
Deploy
Immediately on arrival. Open the container in the canopy — hang mummy cards in shade if that's the format
Release timing
Morning, in daylight. Repeat weekly while aphids are active
Refrigerate
No
Compatible with
Predatory mites, Stratiolaelaps scimitus, beneficial nematodes, lacewings, ladybugs, springtails, Diglyphus, other Aphidius species
Keep separate from
Broad-spectrum and systemic insecticides — systemics move into the aphid and kill the developing wasp. Yellow sticky cards will catch adults; pull them at release
Chemical interval
One day after neem oil or insecticidal soap. Never with sulfur, at any dilution
Safe around
Pets, children, plants
