A parasitoid is a bug that feeds on a living host and eventually kills it, rather than letting it live like other parasites. Some species of parasitoid wasps develop inside other invertebrates, whether it is their eggs or an adult. While each wasp species can incubate inside multiple species, most are limited to a single species.
Along with other parasitic wasps, they are beneficial for pest control and agriculture as they are raised and released to control invasive pests, however it is posible for some parasitoid wasps to attack another when it is already inside a single host.
The aphidius is a parasitoid wasp species that relies on aphids as their hosts, specific species of aphids can include but not limited to green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), melon aphid (Aphis gossypii) and cow pea aphid (Aphis craccivora). Their targets, the aphids, are soft-bodied insects that reproduce asexually, making it difficult to keep up with its population if it is not controlled. These pests can destroy crops, espically young plants due to its mouth parts, therefore making aphidius wasps essential to minimize crop losses.
