Pediobius wasps for Mexican bean beetle

This wasp is the biological control for Mexican bean beetle that UMass and Maryland Extension recommend buying and releasing. It parasitises the larvae, not the eggs or adults, so the release has to coincide with hatch: the New Jersey laboratory recommends two releases in consecutive weeks from the start of egg hatch. It cannot survive the winter here, so each year starts from zero. UMass Extension reports a good track record among mid-Atlantic and New England growers, with control improving through the season as new generations of wasps move into later bean plantings.