Little helpers in the war on aphids

They're not exactly controlling the aphid outbreak in a very noticeable way but every little bit helps. Not sure of the exact identification but I'm pretty sure these little braconid wasps are why I keep finding aphid "mummies" - hollowed out brown shells of aphids that have been used [eaten from inside out] by the braconid wasp larva. Ghoulish but it's all part of the web of nature and they're helping me avoid an all-out aphid epidemic.

Little Aphidius sp. (???) wasp, maybe hunting for an aphid to lay an egg on...

An aphid "mummy" 

Closer view of an aphid "mummy"

I tried to get a picture of a fungus gnat so you could see how different they are but wouldn't you know, couldn't find one! Sometimes we have so many fungus gnats that I have to keep my mouth shut to keep from eating them. Evidently my watering schedule (letting things dry out more) and using perlite as a soil covering has reduced the fungus gnat population substantially.

learn more about Aphidius sp. - parasitizing aphids