With their large, imposing stinger-like appendage, ichneumons are a common sight in the US. But where do ichneumon wasps live? Where do they go to, and do they make some kind of nest for themselves?
One of the largest parasitic wasps in the world, the ichneumon wasp, is quite harmless to humans. They are non-stinging wasps that only feed on flowers’ nectar. However, they do need to stay around forest areas to find a host for their eggs.
Ichneumon wasps usually live in woodlands and damp and heavily forested areas, but they can survive in almost any type of environment.
Let’s talk more about these wasps in this article.
How Many Species of Ichneumon Wasp Are There?
The Ichneumon family is estimated to have around 60,000 to 100,000 known species on the planet right now. This makes them one of the largest family groups in the insect kingdom.
Different Ichneumon species are spread all over the world and are often difficult to distinguish from one another.
While they look like bees and wasps, but you can easily identify them due to their long antennae, which comprise more than half of their entire body.
They can vary in size between 2 inches to an impressive 5 inches. You can also spot them in various colors, with black, brown, and shades of yellow being the most prominent ones.
Where Will You Find Them?
As mentioned before, you can find a variety of Ichneumon wasps all over the globe and on every continent except Antarctica.
Even though they are spread across different parts of the world, these wasps are heavily concentrated in the United States.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation records, more than 5,000 species of Ichneumons can be found in North America. About 2,000 species of these wasps live in Australia, and around 2,500 are found in the UK.
Most known species of Ichneumon wasps can easily thrive in different habitats, ranging from woodlands to wetlands to cities and the countryside.
What Kind of Environment Suits Them the Most?
Ichneumons can survive in all environments, including urban, country, wetlands, woods, etc. However, damp woodlands are the most suitable and preferred environments for them to thrive and grow. Thus, many places in the US make a perfect home for these wasps.
Even though Ichneumon wasps are abundant in the US, humans are unlikely to spot them, let alone interact with them. You might sometimes spot one under your porch light after dark or in your garden hovering over flowers.
Where Do They Lay Eggs?
The female wasp of most Ichneumon species needs a host insect to lay eggs. Typical hosts are caterpillars and grubs. However, different varieties of Ichneumon seek specific insects to act as the host.
Females of the giant ichneumon wasp fly around the woods to find horntail larvae or wasps living in the trunk of a living or dead tree.
She finds these larvae by pressing her long antennae against a tree trunk. When she finds some, she bores into the trunk and lays her own eggs on these larvae.
Once the eggs are hatched, the Ichneumon larva eats the host’s body from the inside out, killing it in the process. The ichneumon larva then has to pupate and finally bore its way out of the tree trunk.
Some females also lay eggs in insects, such as chalcid wasps, boll weevils, and tomato hornworms, which otherwise cause a lot of damage to the crops. In this way, ichneumons are also beneficial insects that help in pest control.
Can Ichneumon Wasps Lay Eggs on Human Skin?
Just like the cuckoo wasp, Ichneumon wasps cannot inject their eggs into human skin. However, it is best that humans remain some distance from them because their ovipositors can still hurt. Ichneumons cannot deposit their eggs in animals like cats and dogs either.
While their ovipositors may hurt, it cannot affect the skin of a large animal or human. Moreover, it does not cause any health concerns either because our immune systems are strong enough to counter the small injection that the wasp would make.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Ichneumon wasps rare?
Ichneumon wasps are spread across the word in more than 60,000 species. Thus, they are far from being rare. They are usually found in woodlands and damp areas but can survive even in urban and dry environments.
Can Ichneumon wasps sting you?
Even though their long ovipositors seem quite threatening, Ichneumon wasps don’t sting. However, some wasps can still use their ovipositors to try and bore you if aggravated, so it is advisable to maintain your distance from them.
Do Ichneumon wasps have nests?
Ichneumon wasps do not have or construct nests. They live their lives in damp woodlands where they fly around from tree to tree, sitting on branches.
How long do Ichneumon wasps live?
On average, a giant Ichneumon wasp can live for up to 27 days, but it also depends on the host’s body, which may or may not last for long.
Wrap Up
Ichneumons are not dangerous. They live in damp woodlands, but they can be found almost anywhere.
There is no reason for a human to be afraid of them. They do not sting, and neither can they deposit their eggs in your body.
However, make sure that you keep your distance from these creatures. They are also wonderful as a natural predator for insects, so having an ichneumon around is not bad news at all.
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