Giant ichneumon wasp
I thought you might want a pic of a giant ichneumon wasp. Body length: 3 inches, ovipositor: 3.5 inches, total 6.5 inches! At first I thought it was some type of crane fly, because it did not have the typical wasp shape, but I think it is a megarhyssa ichneumon wasp. It let me get to as close as 12 inches then got nervous if I got closer. The stump is a maple stump. It is trying to lay eggs in an existing hole.
Chuck
Grand Rapids, MI
Hi Chuck,
This is an Ichnuemon, Megarhyssa macrurus.
more Giant Ichneumon
Hi Folks,
Here are a few nice pics of (what I assume are) Giant Ichneumon from trees in our yard. Take care,
Andre Paquette
Hi Andre,
Thanks for sending us your images of two female Megarhyssa atrata laying eggs.
bug with long tail
I figured out from your website that this is probably the Giant Ichneumon. I just thought you might like a couple of more pictures. These were taken on a dead stump in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN.
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thank you for sending in your lovely image of Megarhyssa atrata, the most commonly depicted Giant Ichneumon in written texts. IT is your second photo that really impresses us. You have captured that female Megarhyssa atrata ovipositing while a female Megarhyssa macrurus (we believe) looks on. Your photos are great.
Huge Hornet or Wasp?
Hi I found this on one of our trees in the front yard. I wanted to know if you could tell me what kind of bug it is and what it’s doing with it’s extremely long tail?
Scott
Hi there Scott,
This is one of the Giant Ichneumons in the genus Megarhyssa, probably Megarhyssa macrurus. Giant Ichneumons are non-stinging relatives of wasps. This female is ovipositing. The long stingerlike “tail” is her ovipositor and it enables her to lay eggs deep in borer infested wood. The food for the young Megarhyssa is the larval form of wood boring insects like Horntails.
Hi Bug Man,
We found this wasp like insect today. We have never seen anything like it. Hope you can tell us something about it. The first photo is taken up against a yellow lighter that is 8cm long. Looking forward to hearing from you. Many thanks and best wishes,
Tina Chambers
Wanganui
New Zealand
Hi Tina,
This is a species of Ichneumon. Ichneumons are parasitic wasps. Many lay eggs deep inside wood where the host wood-boring insects live.
What is this?
Our 3 1/2 year old son Jacob found this in our wood pile today (4/11) and we have no idea what it is. We live in Northern California.
Sara & Jacob Ysunza
Hi Sara and Jacob,
This is an Ichneumon. Ichnuemons are nonstinging relatives of wasps. The female uses her long ovipositor to deposit eggs into the host insect. Many Ichneumons parasitize wood boring insects, hence her presence in a wood pile. Our guess is that this is a species of Arotes.
Can you help me identify this skyscraper bug???
I spotted this interesting bug on the outside of a window on the 39th floor of a skyscraper in downtown Chicago. Is it an Ichneumon? It was not very large, maybe and inch and a half in length (including the stinger/ovipositer). I can’t seem to find out exactly what it is, and the fact that it was so high up on the building has me stumped. I see spiders in abundance outside the windows at certain times of the year, but never anything like this.
Thanks,
Nicole
Wow Nicole,
This is the best photo we have received in a long long time. Yes, it is an Ichnuemon.
Weird Waspy Looking Thing
Hi WTB,
We live in Clearwater, FL and found this sort of waspy looking bug on the side of the garage. We’ve never seen anything quite like it and wondered if you could help us identify it! Thanks.
Martin & Lisa Hine
Hi Martin and Lisa,
We believe this to be an Ichneumon. Ichneumons belong to the order Hymenoptera which includes wasps. Ichneumons are important parasite species that lay eggs singly on a host insect. The larva then begins to eat the internal organs which results in the death of the host. If it were not for Ichnuemons, other species of insects would overpopulate, hence they are important in the balance of nature.
Ichneumon Wasps?
I believe that these are Ichneumon wasps. We watched them for quite some time as they took turns laying eggs. The "fan" at the tail was iridescent and pulsating. Thanks!
Kip Evoy
Hi Kip,
Congratulations on your stunningly beautiful image of two female Giant Ichneumons, Megarhyssa atrata, ovipositing. We especially love the tiny centipede visible under the bark. We do not fully understand the mechanics governing the ovipositor, but this membrane is visible on numerous photos in our archives and elsewhere.
Horntail?
Hi Bugman,
Very cool site; I must check in at least once a week. I am an avid macrophotographer and came across this insect in Delaware on Nov. 14th. I am quessing it may be a Horntail. The last tergite of the abdomen has a spike that resembles an ovipositor. It was found on a pokeweed in a white pine forest. Its body lenght was about 2.5 cm minus the antenna and spike. I checked my field guides and did a few internet searchs to no avail. Any ID assistance would be appreciated. Thank you,
William Brozy
Hi William,
What a gorgeous photo. We flipped it to maximize its size on our site. This is a Parasitic Wasp in the superfamily Ichneumonidae. We are not sure if it is a true Ichneumon, or a Brachonid. We will see if Eric Eaton can provide an answer. Eric wrote in that in his opinion, this is an Ichneumon.
ichneumon photos
on dead pin oak in SE Pennsylvania
Peter
Hi Peter,
Thanks for sending your photo of a female Megarhyssa macrurus ovipositing.
Giant Ichneumon Coloring
Found these terrifying gentle giants in my backyard today. I was wondering what the difference is between the beautiful yellow-auburn colored ones and the shiny black one. There was only one shiny black one that I could see and it was the only one flying around the tree. All the rest were hanging out, depositing their eggs. Thanks!
Jera
Hi Jera,
Your photo shows two species from the genus Megarhyssa. The black specimen is Megarhyssa atrata, the species typically called the Giant Ichneumon. The brown specimen is probably Megarhyssa macrurus.
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