Tag Archives: Braconidae

Carrot Stem Dwellers

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charley Eiseman

Carrot (Apiaceae: Daucus carota) is native to Europe but widely cultivated and has become a ubiquitous weed in North America (also known as Queen Anne’s lace), so you’d think we’d have a pretty good handle on what bugs eat it … Continue reading →

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Life in a Wingstem Stem

Posted on January 9, 2022 by Charley Eiseman

On May 8 last year, Julia and I visited her family’s land in Hocking County, Ohio (which we’ll be doing again today, as it happens), and for whatever reason, a little clump of dead wingstem (Asteraceae: Verbesina alternifolia) stems from … Continue reading →

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52 Wasp Pickup

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charley Eiseman

Back on April 7, Noah stopped by to get some eggs and some seeds for his vegetable garden. Just as he arrived and Julia was walking up to meet him, she spotted a caterpillar with a tiny wasp on it. … Continue reading →

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Introducing Grapholita thermopsidis

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Charley Eiseman

Almost every year since we bought our house, Julia and I have spent a few weeks on a road trip in search of exciting new leafminers. At this point we’ve visited nearly every US state and two Canadian provinces. This … Continue reading →

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Backyard Bowerbird

Posted on February 23, 2020 by Charley Eiseman

This morning I heard some bluebirds twittering outside the window, so Julia and I took the cue to go out and clean out the nest boxes. The bluebirds’ nest from last year was a dense mass of pine needles and … Continue reading →

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Sharing the Fruit Trees

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Charley Eiseman

Periodically I am asked how to get rid of some bug or another. If I am giving a public talk, I want to reply, “have you not been paying attention to anything I’ve said for the past hour?” If the … Continue reading →

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A wasp has its day

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Charley Eiseman

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you know that a lot of my attempts to rear insect larvae to adults end up producing parasitoid wasps. You have probably also heard me lament from time to time … Continue reading →

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Parasite of a parasite of a parasite

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Charley Eiseman

I’m slowly making my way through the photos I took last summer, and I just got to the conclusion of an interesting series that started with this leaf I was given on June 22: The leaf is from hairy honeysuckle … Continue reading →

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Pesky Parasitoids, Part 3

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Charley Eiseman

First, another quick update on the leafminer book. Some people have asked if there’s a way to get it without recurring monthly payments, and/or by writing a check rather than going through Patreon. At the same time, Patreon recently announced … Continue reading →

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Marsh Marigold Menagerie

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Charley Eiseman

In the spring of 2013, I wrote about the four-toed salamander surveys I was conducting at the time, which involved crawling around in swamps all over northwestern Massachusetts. On June 1, the last day of the survey, Julia tagged along, … Continue reading →

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