''Tetrastichus coeruleus'' is a gregarious koinobiont wasp which can be used as a

biological control agent Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

for the

common asparagus beetle The common asparagus beetle (''Crioceris asparagi'') is an important pest of asparagus crops both in Europe and in North America. Asparagus is its only food plant. The beetle is 6.0 mm to 9.5 mm long and slightly elongated. It is metallic blue- ...

. It was originally named ''Tetrastichus asparagi'' Crawford, thus most of the literature about this species has been published under this other name. ''Tetrastichus coeruleus'' has populations which are infected with the parthenogenesis-inducing Wolbachia and populations which are not. On average, 4.75 ''T. coeruleus'' adults emerge per larva, though this ranges between 2 and 13 specimens per larva.

References

Eulophidae Insects used as insect pest control agents Insects described in 1834 Taxa named by Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck {{eulophidae-stub