Evidence is presented for a fast-slow continuum of life-history traits across 474 species of parasitoid Hymenoptera. Individuals from more fecund parasitoid taxa invest less in each egg, lay eggs at a faster rate and start to reproduce sooner after eclosion than individuals from less fecund parasitoid taxa, as is the case in the other animal taxa studied. This continuum is not dependent on either adult size or taxonomic association. There is a positive relationship between adult size and fecundity, when egg size is controlled for by partial correlation. Relationships between fecundity and aspects of parasitoid ecology were re-examined in the light of this correlation, but failed to reveal any associations.