Tachinidae
Tachinid flies |
Most, if not all, of this large and important family are internal parasites as larvae. There are 1300 North American species, with many natural predators of important pests. Introduced foreign species help control populations of some alien insect pests as well. These flies vary in color, size, and shape but many resemble houseflies. Adults are usually gray, black, or striped with abdominal bristles. Eggs are laid on plants (to be consumed by hosts), glued to the outside of hosts (maggots burrow into the host), or rarely are inserted into the host body. Tachinid flies develop rapidly, and pupate in 4-14 days. Many species have several generations a year, although some are limited by hosts with a single annual generation. |
Most tachinid flies attack caterpillars and adult and larval beetles, although others specialize on sawfly larvae, true bugs, grasshoppers, or others. Although these are very important insects for control of natural and introduced pests, none are currently available commercially. |
