Possible Wasp Infestation in Swallowtails

by Cathy
(Ohio)

I asked this question before, but perhaps you did not get it. I have chrysalis from late fall (swallowtails). I noticed tiny wasp like bugs dead in the bottom of the cage last fall. Are my chrysalis infected? How can I tell? Would they all be infected? How to prevent this this season?

Karen says:
A caterpillar can be host to the larva of a fly or wasp. Brown spots can develop on the caterpillar. Fly pupas (which are small ovals which are white then turn dark) come out of a chrysalis.

Wasps usually hatch and exit out of the monarch chrysalis, leaving an ugly hole. Can you see a hole in the chrysalis?

Hope this helps.