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Summary.The host utilization process of insect parasitoids can be described by three stages of (1) habitatlocation, (2) host-location, and (3) host-acceptance and oviposition. There are 19 systems in which chemicals used in habitat-location have been identified, 12 systems in which chemical cues leading to host-location have been identified, and 16 systems in which chemicals eliciting host-acceptance and oviposition have been identified. Both the chemical class and the source of the infochemical change with the stage of the host utilization process. Semiochemicals identified in the habitatlocation stage were predominantly aldehydes, alcohols, sulfur-containing compounds, esters and terpenes, and were equally likely to be from the host-plant of the host, or from the host itself. Semiochemicals identified in the host-location stage were sugars, alkanes, terpenes and heterocyclic aromatic compounds and 3/4 of them were host-produced cues. In the host-acceptance and oviposition stage the identified semiochemicals were all produced by the host and were proteins, amino acids, triglycerides and salts. The importance of recognizing specific cues involved in host utilization by parasitoids is discussed, and suggestions for future research are made.