The Braconidae are a very large family of parasitic wasps with between 50,000 and 150,000 species worldwide, and about 1000 UK species. Braconids are usually black-brown in colour although some species are brightly patterned.
These wasps, along with the Ichneumonidae, are part of a larger superfamily the Ichneumonoidea. Together thay account for half the Hymenoptera species in the UK. The two families differ only in the wing venation. These are important biological controls on other insects, particularly the larvae of Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Aphids and other Hemiptera.