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04 June 2026 - News
Within Colkim’s Bio‑Fab facility, the species Habrobracon hebetor is reared—an insect belonging to the order Hymenoptera and the family Braconidae. This insect is used for the control of the main lepidopteran pests of stored food products.
Biological control in the food industry is now one of the most interesting developments in integrated pest management strategies for stored products. Growing attention to sustainability, reduced chemical impact, and compliance with food industry quality standards has led to the development of increasingly specialized solutions based on the use of beneficial insects. In this context, Habrobracon hebetor stands out as one of the most effective and well-established parasitoids for controlling moth pests associated with stored products.
Taxonomic classification:
Belonging to the Braconidae family, Habrobracon hebetor is a small ectoparasitic hymenopteran characterized by an extraordinary ability to locate host larvae within infested environments. The female identifies the larvae of target species, paralyzes them through a sting, and subsequently lays her eggs on the surface of the host. The development of the parasitoid larvae then takes place at the expense of the host, ultimately leading to its complete inactivation.
One of the most interesting aspects of Habrobracon hebetor is its active host-searching behavior. In fact, the parasitoid is able to detect pest larvae even within hard-to-reach microenvironments, by following biological and chemical cues associated with the presence of prey. This allows infestations to be intercepted directly at the larval development sites, helping to rapidly reduce pest pressure in treated environments.
This species is widely used thanks to its high effectiveness in controlling the main lepidopteran pests of stored food products. Habrobracon hebetor is employed in mills, silos, feed plants, grain-processing industries, food warehouses, and storage facilities, where it contributes to the biological control of infestations by Plodia interpunctella, Ephestia kuehniella, Cadra cautella, and other moths associated with flour, cereals, seeds, spices, dried fruit, and sensitive food matrices.
In addition to food-related environments, Habrobracon hebetor can also be useful in textile and commodity sectors characterized by the presence of moths associated with natural fibers and animal-derived materials, such as wool mills. It is effective against species like Tineola bisselliella and Tinea pellionella, and can therefore be used in textile storage facilities, wool industries, and environments dedicated to the conservation of historical artifacts.
From a technical standpoint, the introduction of Habrobracon hebetor represents a significant evolution in modern Pest Management toward approaches that are increasingly selective, sustainable, and integrable within Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Today’s IPM strategies can incorporate the controlled release of beneficial insects as a complementary biocontrol tool, in line with the principles of sustainability, prevention, and reduction of chemical pressure promoted by the IFS Pest Control Guideline v2. The planned introduction of biological agents is, in fact, one of the most interesting developments in contemporary pest management within high-quality food supply chains.
For official BIO-FAB operators, the use of this parasitoid offers a concrete opportunity to expand the tools available for controlling moth infestations in food storage and processing environments. Understanding how these parasitoids function means approaching pest management with an increasingly advanced perspective, where sustainability, innovation, and technical precision become central elements in the protection of stored food products.