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Ichneumon Wasp

Posted by bugman April 16th, 2008 at 12:00 am

Categories

Ichneumons

Found this on my wall
Hi Bugman!
I just want to start off by saying that I LOVE this site. It’s so helpful in identifying bugs all over the place. This morning, I found this bug sitting on a wall, and I have to say, he scared the pants off of me! Any idea what kind it is? At first glance I thought roach, then I looked at it a little closer, and thought, maybe it’s some weird mosquito or wasp that I haven’t seen before. I live in Alpharetta, Georgia… about 40 minutes south of the north Georgia Mountains, just to give a range for this bug. Any help identifying him would be appreciated! Thanks!
Vikki

Hi Vikki,
This is an Ichneumon, and it is a wasp. Ichneumons are parasitic on other insects, most often wood boring insects, and the female lays eggs with a long ovipositor. Most Ichneumons do not sting, but we have heard from Eric Eaton that some species can sting.

Thanks so much for letting me know! :) I really do appreciate all your hard work with the site and keeping up with the billions of requests you get. :)
Vikki Shifrin

Hi Vikki,
Your response made us chuckle. We will check with our web host, but we don’t think we have reached our first billion letters yet. We can tell you for certain there has not been a billion answers.

Related Posts

  1. Stinging Ichneumon (January 26, 2006)
  2. Ichneumon species (November 8, 2004)
  3. Unknown Wasp in Washington State is Ichneumon species (July 11, 2008)
  4. Gasteruptiidae Wasp, not Ichneumon (July 8, 2007)
  5. Ichneumon Wasp (August 20, 2009)

Comments 3

  1. Lisa wrote:

    Hello,
    I have an issue that I hope you can help me with. I have a large maple tree (seemingly healthy) that is being visited by the Ichneumon Wasp. There are many holes in the base of the trunk (about two – three feet from the base) which is the apparently the result of the adult cutting a circular exit hole when it leaves the tree. The information I[‘ve found indicates that the Ichneumon Wasp is not considered a serious pest since attacks are limited to trees or individual limbs that are in serious decline or very recently dead. Again, my tree does not show any obvious signs of disease nor does is show any signs of dying.
    My questions are:
    (1) Once the larvae become full grown what type of damage do they do once they exit the trunk and how can I prevent it?
    (2) What type of damage have they caused inside the trunk of the tree and is this repairable?
    I don’t want to loose this tree so am hoping that you can help. Thank you.

    Posted 22 Jun 2009 at 7:36 pm
  2. bugman wrote:

    hi Lisa,
    The Giant Ichneumon is a parasitic predator. The larvae parasitize wood boring insects like the Pigeon Horntail. The Giant Ichneumon is not a problem, but its presence is symptomatic of another potentially harmful insect boring in the wood.

    Posted 22 Jun 2009 at 9:28 pm
  3. Lisa wrote:

    The only other insect that I have seen on the tree looks like a potato bug (sow bug). I[‘ve read that they are not a serious threat either as they do not damage the wood. Could this be what the Ichneumon Wasp is feeding on?

    Posted 22 Jun 2009 at 11:36 pm

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