Exploding caterpillars (1 Viewer)

Need some creepy-crawly advice. My daughter has some Large White caterpillars in a tub that we're trying to turn into butterflies. Had about 20, but 12 of them have burst open like Alien with 10s pale green larvae spewing out all over the place. Very entertaining, but Lizzie is worried about her pets. I've told her (half-guessing) that some sort of parasitic wasp or fly has laid eggs in/on the caterpillars, and that the larvae have been growing inside. She wants to know what this fly or wasp looks like... but I don't know cos I made it up. Can anyone suggest what species did that to Lizzie's caterpillars and where can I find a picture. Wikipedia suggests it will be a wasp, Apanteles glomeratus - likely?

Very likely... Check http://www.just-green.com/8b-PhotoA...nfo/Bug_Of_Month/BOM_Sept05_BraconidWasps.pdf
I once had Cabbage White caterpillars that got covered in their pupae, which I found very sad. I'm glad I didn't see larvae crawl out...

Xenospiza said:

Very likely... Check http://www.just-green.com/8b-PhotoA...nfo/Bug_Of_Month/BOM_Sept05_BraconidWasps.pdf
I once had Cabbage White caterpillars that got covered in their pupae, which I found very sad. I'm glad I didn't see larvae crawl out...

Click to expand...

Thanks, that looks like it. I'll tell her this in the morning and she'll think I'm clver.

Here's a picture. Hope you've all had your tea.

Bloody hell, that's as evocative of my childhood as spacehoppers, chopper bikes, and starsky and hutch.

I'd suggest Lizzie moves on to Small Tortoiseshells - in my childhood experience, much less parasitic mortality, plus the added zest of having to pick stingers for them to eat. Funkier chrysalids too!

Jopn