Trichogramma minutum – Egg Parasitoid Wasp for Caterpillar & Borer Control
Product details
| Management number | 250625516 | Release Date | 2026/09/17 | List Price | US$15.58 | Model Number | 250625516 | ||
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Stop caterpillars and borers before the eggs ever hatch
By the time you see chewed leaves, the caterpillar is already doing damage and is hard to reach. Trichogramma minutum attacks a step earlier: these tiny wasps parasitize the eggs of moths and butterflies, so the pest never hatches into a feeding caterpillar. Release the cards weekly for ongoing prevention. This is the right strain for growers in the eastern and central US.
Live insects ship on Tuesdays only and arrive Wednesday. Orders must be placed 7 days in advance. Anything ordered by 3pm EST Tuesday ships the following Tuesday by UPS overnight shipping.
- You react after caterpillars are already chewing
- Large caterpillars shrug off many treatments
- Sprays coat foliage and may need harvest timing
- Broad products hit butterflies and beneficials
- One-and-done treatments leave gaps
- Reactive and labor-heavy
- Destroys the eggs before a single caterpillar hatches
- The pest is stopped at its most vulnerable stage
- No spray, no residue, no re-entry interval
- Wasps target moth and butterfly eggs, sparing the crop
- Weekly cards give continuous egg-stage coverage
- Hang a card and the wasps patrol for you
Kills pests before they hatch Egg-stage control
Female wasps lay their eggs inside pest moth eggs. The developing wasp consumes the contents, so no caterpillar ever emerges to feed on your plants.
Hits many caterpillar pests
Trichogramma parasitizes the eggs of a wide range of moths and butterflies, covering many of the loopers, borers, and worms that plague vegetable and flowering crops.
Built for a weekly program
Because moths keep laying, the strongest results come from releasing cards weekly during the flight period so fresh wasps are always present for fresh eggs.
Wasps keep cycling
Adults emerge from the cards in days and go looking for more pest eggs, extending each release beyond the moment you hang it.
Region-matched strain
Minutum is the appropriate strain for eastern and central US conditions. Western US growers should ask us about T. platneri instead.
Low-effort to deploy
The cards clip onto plants with no mixing or equipment, so weekly prevention stays low-effort.
Hang or clip the cards in the canopy across the crop.
Release when moths are active; wasps emerge in 2-5 days (fastest at 80-90°F).
Typical rate 1-2 per sq ft, or 50,000-100,000 per acre weekly during flights.
Release in the morning and don't delay once the wasps emerge.
How Trichogramma stops the next caterpillar
Hang the cards
Clip the release cards onto plants across your grow, spaced fairly evenly through the canopy.
Wasps emerge in days
Adult Trichogramma hatch from the parasitized eggs on the card and immediately begin searching for pest eggs.
They parasitize pest eggs
Each female lays inside moth and butterfly eggs. Parasitized eggs darken as the wasp develops instead of a caterpillar.
Repeat weekly
Because moths keep laying, hang fresh cards each week during the flight period to keep steady coverage.
- Trichogramma minutum release cards with parasitized host eggs
- Count matched to your chosen size
- Hanging and weekly release instructions
- Insulated overnight packaging
- Card counts: sized to your grow area
- Program: weekly releases during moth activity
- Western US growers: ask us about T. platneri, the regional strain
Questions? We're easy to reach.
Happy Hydro has been serving growers since 2006. Call or email us before you order, after you order, or any time something comes up. When you're happy, we're happy.
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