The critical photoperiod for diapause induction was determined in the laboratory and validated in the field forDiolcogaster facetosa(Weed), a parasite of the green cloverworm. In the laboratory at constant 24°C, as well as in the field under natural conditions, the critical photoperiod for diapause induction is between 13:11 and 14:10 (L:D). Second instars are sensitive to diapause-inducing photoperiods, and diapause occurs in the final instar after it has emerged from the host and spun a cocoon. Study of diapausing individuals from the field during autumn and winter indicated that photoperiod has only a minor role, if any, in diapause maintenance or termination. The date of diapause termination was not determined, but the combination of diapause development and postdiapause development had not been completed in the field by the spring equinox.