European Thick-headed Fly vs Greenhouse Whitefly Parasitoid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute European Thick-headed Fly Greenhouse Whitefly Parasitoid
Scientific Name Myopa buccata Encarsia formosa
Order Diptera Hymenoptera
Family Conopidae Eulophidae
Size 6-10 mm 0.5-0.8 mm
Habitat Woodlands Underground
Diet Parasitoids Parasitoids
Regions Europe Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

European Thick-headed Fly

A small reddish-brown conopid fly with a distinctively swollen face and downward-curving proboscis. It is commonly found basking on sunny tree trunks and fences in spring.

💡

Did You Know?

It times its emergence with the spring flight period of its Andrena bee hosts, waiting on sunny surfaces to ambush them.

Greenhouse Whitefly Parasitoid

The most widely used parasitoid wasp in greenhouse biological control worldwide. Parasitized whitefly nymphs turn black, making monitoring easy.

💡

Did You Know?

It reproduces entirely by parthenogenesis since males are extremely rare in commercial populations.