Ichneumon Wasps – Ichneumonidae Family

Ichneumon Wasps   Family: Ichneumonidae Common Name: Ichneumon wasps, Darwin wasps, or ichneumonids Appearance: Ichneumon wasps range in size from a few millimeters to about 7 centimeters. They look like all other common wasps with a thin waist connecting the thorax and abdomen, a pair of compound eyes, wings, and antennas. Their antennas are unusually long, with 15 to 16 visible segments. The female wasp possesses a stinger that also acts as an ovipositor. Host Plants or Food: Ichneumon Wasps live as parasites on other insects such as spiders in the larval stage. This makes them an excellent natural insect regulator. These wasps feed on plant nectar and water as adults, making them important pollinators. Territory: Throughout North America and Australia Mode of Damage:  These are beneficial garden insects. The larvae feed on other insects while the adult wasp lives off flower nectar. Habits and Life History: Ichneumon wasps, specifically the female, inject the egg through the ovipositor along with venom into the host. This paralyzes the host so the larvae can feed upon it. These wasps are usually found crawling on trees and barks in search of a host insect. The host dies after a few weeks after the larvae hatch. This also makes them a great insect control since a majority of the insects are parasitized by them. Ichneumon wasps go through a complete metamorphosis which means the larvae hatch from the eggs during the spring and transform into an adult. They are usually found in wet, woody areas with a large number of potential host insects.