Encyrtus lecaniorum are parasitic wasps who insert their eggs into the sedentary life stage forms of scale, a plant-feeding insect.

They look like tiny winged ants.

This is because ants and wasps belong to the same insect order, Hymenoptera, which if you break down the word into it component parts means hymen (“net”) optera (“winged”).

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Photo credit: MDA Biological Control Program