A survey for primary and secondary Hymenopteran parasitoids of scale insects (Homoptera: Coccoidea) in fruit orchards (apple, plum, date, olive, fig, citrus), was conducted in Syria during 2009–2012. Thirty three species of parasitoids belonging to the families Aphelinidae, Encyrtidae, Eulophidae and Pteromalidae were recorded as parasitoids on scale insects. Thirty two of these were primary parasitoids and one was a hyperparasitoid. The family with the greatest number of genera and species is Encyrtidae with 8 genera (48% of the total) and 12 species (35% of the total). The genus with the greatest number of Encyrtid species was Metaphycus. Parasitoids of scale insects identified included several species already included on the List of biological control agents widely used in the EPPO region ‘EPPO Positive list' and suggestions for additions to this list were made.