European corn borer parasitoid (Eriborus terebrans)
Biocontrol Agent Factsheet
The European corn borer parasitoid (Eriborus terebrans) is a parasitoid wasp species that targets the European corn borer (Ostriana nubilalis).
Overview
Pests Targeted: European corn borer
Pest Stage: Larva
Commercially Available? No
Scientific Name: Eriborus terebrans
Biocontrol Agent Type: Parasitoid

NYSIPM (10516)
Fact Sheets (10868)
Biocontrol (10677)
corn
Common Names
European corn borer parasitoid
Relative effectiveness
E. terebrans can reduce populations of European corn borer, and therefore damage to crops, however, it is not sufficient as a standalone method for European corn borer control. In 1938, reported first generation E. terebrans parasitism was 55.8% near Boston, MA. By 1990, the highest level of first generation parasitism observed in individual fields by E. terebrans was 37.4% in Michigan. Long term averages of second generation parasitism in the north central region of the U.S. are low, between 2.4%-7.8%.
Where to use
Field and sweet corn
Outside
About European corn borer parasitoid
Eriborus terebrans is a parasitoid wasp. The females lay eggs in the body cavity of live insect hosts. E. terebrans in particular, is a parasitoid of the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), and was introduced to the United States as part of a classical biological control program. Approximately 140,000 wasps were collected from Europe and Asia and released in 13 states from Vermont to Virginia and as far west as Indiana from 1927 to 1940. It is now an established species in the Northeastern United States and can be found from early spring into the fall. It is currently the most frequently recovered parasitoid of European corn borer in the north central region of the United States.
- Native/Non-native: Non-native
- Preferred climate: Temperate, cold tolerant
- Region: Northeast United States; from Vermont to Virginia and as far west as Indiana
- Established: Yes
- Where established: Northeastern United States
European corn borer parasitoid appearance
Eriborus terebrans adults have shiny, black bodies with yellowish-brown legs and long, curved antennae about 5-7 mm in length. Females are approximately 6-10 mm, with a 3 mm curved ovipositor, which is a long tubed organ protruding from the female’s abdomen that is used to deposit eggs. Males are slightly smaller in size averaging 5-7 mm in length and do not have an ovipositor. Both males and females live between 7-10 days under ideal conditions.

Female Eriborus terebrans, European corn borer parasitoid.

Eriborus terebrans adult feeding on a nectar source.
Seeking quality photos
Quality photos of Eriborus terebrans have been difficult to find. If you have some you would be willing to share please email Amara Dunn-Silver.

How to use European corn borer parasitoid for biocontrol
Biocontrol category: Classical - released once and persists
When to use: Support of natural populations is the best way to increase parasitism in your area. The spring emergence of first generation E. terebrans adults is well synchronized with the population peak of first generation European corn borers and is temperature and light dependent.
Maximizing effectiveness: To maximize the effects of parasitism, E. terebrans should be used as a biological control agent in areas with widespread corn production with fragmented, wooded edges. Additionally, higher relative humidity and abundant sources of adult food (nectar) is also critical.
Pest stage: Immature (larval stage) while overwintering. The European corn borer overwinters in the stalks of corn as a full-grown caterpillar (larva). Overwintering larvae pupate in the spring, and emerge as yellowish-brown moths in late May and early June.
Mode of action: Parasitoid
Conservation: Because E. terebrans is already established in the Northeastern United States, biological control programs should be focused on supporting populations of E. terebrans by providing adequate sources of nectar-producing plants as well as efforts to reduce the use of broad-spectrum insecticides near corn fields. E. terebrans adults are able to survive better in wooded field borders, where there is more shade and often flowering plants or sources of aphid honeydew. Additional studies showed that adult wasps die rapidly when temperatures exceed 90°F and that wasps require a sugar daily sugar source to survive. Therefore, maintaining plants that produce nectar can be helpful to E. terebrans populations.
Compatibility: E. terebrans is not compatible with most commercially available insecticides, and therefore population support requires careful consideration of broad-spectrum insecticide use. Additionally, the use of herbicides should also be considered when supporting populations of natural enemies, as herbicides can reduce floral and nectar availability that is key to E. terebrans survival. (Any time you use a pesticide, you must read and follow the label directions and comply with all applicable laws and regulations related to pesticide use. Also be sure that any pesticide used is approved for use in your country and state/province.)
Risk: Parasitoid wasps are not a sting risk to humans.
Commercially available: No
About European corn borer (Ostriana nubilalis)
Mature European corn borer larvae are about 1 inch in length, yellow to gray in color, and marked by rows of small brown spots running the length of the body. Larvae have a rather inconspicuous black head capsule and can be easily identified from other larval species by their characteristic silk or ballooning behavior. Eggs of the parasitoid Eriborus terebrans are laid in the body cavity of overwintering European corn borer larvae and emerge in the spring.
European corn borer damage
Feeding and tunneling damage by European corn borer caterpillars (larvae) can occur in the stalk, leaves, shank and directly on the kernels of a corn plant. The primary damage of concern happens in the ear where larvae feed and tunnel, destroying kernels and leaving behind frass (droppings) that contaminate and rot nearby kernels. They may occasionally also damage the corn husk.

An immature (larva) European corn borer (O. nubalis) feeding.

European corn borer (O. nubalis) feeding damage.
Eriborus terebrans (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)
The European corn borer, Ostriana nubalis, is a major perennial pest of cultivated maize, Zea mays. Since its accidental introduction to the United States in the early 1900s, it has become a widespread pest within corn cropping systems (Coates et al. 2019). European corn borer larvae damage corn plants through feeding and tunneling in the stalk, leaves, shank and directly on the kernels of a corn plant (Shpanev et al. 2019). The primary damage of concern happens in the ear where larvae feed and tunnel, destroying kernels and leaving behind frass that contaminate and rot nearby kernels rendering the ears unmarketable and thus having a serious economic impact (Brindley and Dicke 1963). Mature European corn borer larvae are about 1 inch in length, yellow to gray in color, and marked by rows of small brown spots running the length of the body. Larvae have a rather inconspicuous black head capsule and can be easily identified from other larval species by their characteristic silk or ballooning behavior (Capinera 2017).
The parasitoid wasp Eriborus terebrans is a known endoparasite of the European corn borer. The European corn borer overwinters in the stalks of corn as a full-grown larva (Dyer and Landis 1997). Female E. terebrans take advantage of this biological phenomenon by laying eggs in the body cavity of overwintering European corn borer larvae where the eggs of their offspring then develop and emerge in the spring. The spring emergence of first generation E. terebrans adults is well synchronized with the population peak of first generation European corn borers and is temperature and light dependent (Shelton 1992). Adult E. terebrans have a shiny, black head and thorax with yellowish-brown legs and long, curved antennae about 5-7 mm in length. Females are approximately 6-10 mm, with a 3 mm curved ovipositor. Males are slightly smaller in size averaging 5-7mm in length. Both males and females live between 7-10 days under ideal conditions (Wright 1996). Due to their beneficial endoparasitic behavior, populations E. terebrans were collected and released as a part of a classical biological control project to control populations of European corn borer in the mid-1900s. Approximately 140,000 wasps were collected from Europe and Asia and released in 13 states from Vermont to Virginia and as far west as Indiana from 1927 to 1940. In 1938, following introduction of E. terebrans to the United States in 1927, it was reported that the first generation of E. terebrans parasitism was 55.8% near Boston, MA. By 1990, the highest level of first generation parasitism observed in individual fields by E. terebrans was 37.4% in Michigan. However, long term averages of second generation parasitism in the north central region of the U.S. are between 2.4%-7.8% (Landis and Haas 1992). E. terebrans is now an established species in the Northeastern United States and can be found from early spring into the fall. It is currently the most frequently recovered parasitoid of European corn borer in the north central region of the United States.
Due to the complex nature of their reproduction, E. terebrans adults are not available for purchase from commercial rearing companies and therefore, support of naturally occurring populations is the best method of supporting this species. Therefore, to take advantage and support populations of E. terebrans and improve levels of European corn borer parasitism, appropriate habitat management is key. Studies like (Käfer et al. 2012) have shown that adult wasps die rapidly when temperatures exceed 90°F, therefore, supporting populations of parasitoid wasps involves maintaining non-crop habitats distributed on the edge of fields, as well as planting varieties of flowering plants that offer essential sugars, nectar, and pollen that can frequently be critical to E. terebrans survival. Beneficial insects are often not compatible with commercially available insecticides, and the use of herbicides can reduce the floral and nectar availability, therefore, species of parasitoid wasp such as E. terebrans should be encouraged and supportive in organic and low-risk regions where the survivability and compatibility of the insect and ecosystem is not a concern.
Author
Lidia Komondy
Cornell University Department of Entomology
Date: September 2021
- I would like to thank the Cornell University Department of Entomology Extension Outreach Program for their support.
- Modified from an article written by Dr. Tony Shelton: Shelton, A.M. 1992. Eriborus terebrans (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Biological Control: A guide to Natural Enemies of North America.
- Brindley, T. A. and F. F. Dicke 1963 Significant developments in European corn borer research. Annual Review of Entomology 8:155-176.
- Carlson, R.W. 2009. A catalog of the ichneumon wasps north of Mexico (taxonomy, hosts, distribution, references); part of the Database of Hymenoptera in America north of Mexico. Ichneumonidae catalog: 359178.
- Capinera, J., 2017. European corn borer scientific name: Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Crambidae). EENY-156. EDIS, 2017.
- Coates, B.S., Craig A Abel. 2019. Differentiation of European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and American Lotus Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Ostrinia penitalis, from North American Field Collections, Journal of Economic Entomology (112) 4: 2007-2011.
- Dyer, L.E., and Douglas A. Landis. 1997. Influence of Non Crop Habitats on the Distribution of Eriborus terebrans (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) in Cornfields. Environmental Entomology 26 (4): 924-932.
- Käfer H., Kovac, H., & Stabentheiner, A. 2012. Resting metabolism and critical thermal maxima of vespine wasps (Vespula sp.). Journal of Insect Physiology 58(5), 679-689.
- Landis, D.A. and M.J. Haas. 1992. Influence of landscape structure on abundance and within-field distribution of European corn borer larval parasitoids in Michigan. Environmental Entomology 21: 409-416.
- Ma, R.Z., Swedenborg, P.D. and Jones, R.L. 1992 Host-seeking behavior of Eriborus terebrans (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) toward the European corn borer and the role of chemical stimuli. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 85: 72-79.
- Mason, C.E., Romig, R.F., Wendel, L.E., Wood, L.A. 1994. Distribution and abundance of larval parasitoids of European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in the East Central United States, Environmental Entomology 23(2): 521-531.
- Rabb, R.L., R.E. Stinner and R. van den Bosch. 1976. Conservation and augmentation of natural enemies. pp. 233-54 In. Theory and Practice of Biological Control. C. B. Huffaker and P. S. Messenger eds. Academic Press, New York, NY.
- Shelton, A.M. 1992. Eriborus terebrans (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Biological Control: A guide to Natural Enemies of North America.
- Shpanev, A.M., Laptiev, A.B. & Baibakova, N.Y. 2019. Development and harmfulness of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hb. (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae), in the Central Chernozem region. Entomological Review 99, 437-445.
- Winnie, W.V. and H.C. Chiang. 1982. Seasonal history of Macrocentrus grandii and Eriborus terebrans, two parasitoids of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis. Entomophaga 27: 183-188.
- Wright, B. 1996. Know your friends: Eriborus terebrans, Midwest Biological Control News. Vol.III, No.11.
- An immature (larva) European corn borer (O. nubalis) feeding. Credit: 2014, New York State IPM.
- Female Eriborus terebrans, European corn borer parasitoid. Credit: 2018 CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics; Sample ID: CCDB32126-C05. Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike 2.0, Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
- Eriborus terebrans adult feeding on a nectar source. Credit: Doug Landis, 1992 Michigan State University.
- General life cycle of a parasitoid wasp. Credit: 2019, University of Waikato Te Whare Wananga o Waikato.
- An immature (larva) European corn borer (O. nubalis) feeding. Credit: 2014, New York State IPM.
- European corn borer (O. nubalis) feeding damage. Credit: Lidia Komondy, 2021 Cornell University.
- (315) 787-2206
- arc55 [at] cornell.edu