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Stump Stabber

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Subject:  Insect
Geographic location of the bug:  East Greenville PA
Date: 06/30/2021
Time: 03:57 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Any chance you know what insect this is?
How you want your letter signed:  Heather

Stump Stabber

Dear Heather,
This is a Stump Stabber, the common name for the Giant Ichneumon
Megarhyssa atrata.  Your individual is a female and she uses her very long, up to five inches in length, ovipositor to deposit her eggs in dead and dying wood that contains the wood boring larvae of a Wood Wasp known as a Horntail, which is the food for the Stump Stabber larva.

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Stinging Ichnuemon from the UK

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Subject:  Identify bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Leicestershire, UK
Date: 07/16/2021
Time: 01:56 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  This was flying around my room at night, I thought it was a daddy long longs and grasped it in two hands. After a couple seconds, it “stung” me as I felt a very sharp prick on my hand.
As I closed it into just one hand to open the window, i felt another very sharp prick – so much so that I quickly released it to move away.
The pain continued in both areas for a fair few minutes and after trapping it in a glass, I managed to take a few pictures before releasing it.
It’s about the size of a daddy long legs, but is red with a “sting” on the end (where it is black) and “spikes” on its legs.  I’ve never seen it before, let alone have one mildly hurt me.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
How you want your letter signed:  Jack

Ichneumon

Dear Jack,
This is a parasitoid Ichneumon Wasp, and there are some species that are capable of stinging as you have learned first-hand.  Of the species pictured on the Natural History Museum Beginner’s Guide to Identifying British Ichneumonids, we believe it looks most like
Callajoppa exaltatoria, which is also pictured on Ukranian Biodiversity Information Network.  Though the coloration is similar to your individual, we do not believe they are the same species as other anatomical features appear different.  Ichneumons can be very difficult to identify with certainty.

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Newly emerged Ichneumon

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Subject:  Ichneumon
Geographic location of the bug:  Campbell, Ohio
Date: 08/02/2021
Time: 8:46 AM EDT
Gentle Readers,
Daniel has been taking many images of interesting creatures using his magicphone (his first cellular telephone ever which he has had for the past year) because the iPhone pro has a marvelous camera.  Last week one morning while enjoying coffee in the garden, Daniel spotted this parasitic wasp, presumably an Ichneumon, preening on the tip of a blade of grass, so he picked the blade of grass to get a better look.  He realized by the preening he observed that this was probably a newly emerged wasp that had not yet flown.  It seemed it was checking out its new sensory organs, the antennae, and Daniel observed for about a half an hour before it finally flew off.  Ichneumon Wasps and their relatives the Braconids and the Chalcids are all interesting parasitic wasps that often prey on a single species.

Ichneumon

 

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Short Tailed Ichneumon from Turkey

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Subject:  Insect Identification
Geographic location of the bug:  Canakkale Province, Turkey
Date: 08/10/2021
Time: 05:50 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  This insect has been collected in Sorghum crop field and it is needed the identification of this insect species. Moreover, the attached pictures are original and taken from my Samsung S5 mobile phone under open field conditions of the Çanakkale Province Turkey. Thanks in advance for this insect identification. Regards.
How you want your letter signed:  Dr. Baboo Ali

Short Tailed Ichneumon

Dear Dr. Baboo Ali,
This is a Short Tailed Ichneumon Wasp, a parasitic wasp that preys upon a specific plant feeding species or genus or possibly family of insects.  You have requested an identification, but interestingly, all three of your attached images which have lengthy file names also include this information:  “
Ophion_Arı_Erkek_Edited_2021.07.12″.  What we find most interesting is that the genus name for a group of Short Tailed Ichneumons is actually Ophion and that word is in your file name.  Of the genus Ophion, BugGuide, a North American insect identification website states:  “Most all Ophion larva are parasites of caterpillars”  and “Adult Ophion species will hunt for their host caterpillar. Usually one egg is laid per host. Caterpillar usually dies during pupal stage though wasp larva remains to pupate itself.”  So, if your concern is the sorghum crop, this is a beneficial insect that is most likely hunting caterpillars that feed on the sorghum.

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Possibly Ichneumon from Alaska

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Subject:  Insect That has Taken South Central Alaska by Storm
Geographic location of the bug:  Anchorage Alaska
Date: 09/19/2021
Time: 12:20 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I am looking to ID this insect. They seem to be appearing everywhere over the last two weeks in Anchorage AK. This particular specimen may have a missing leg, but most do not. It seems similar to wood wasps I have seen before, but is smaller at ~1” long. Thanks for the help!
How you want your letter signed:  Scott P

Ichneumon we believe

Dear Scott,
We believe this is an Ichneumon, a parasitoid wasp, or possibly a Braconid, also a parasitoid wasp, and both are in the superfamily Ichneumonoidea, which is according to BugGuide:  “A very biodiverse and important group. Many are valuable biocontrol agents that control populations of agricultural and forest pest insects. Wasplike in appearance, but (with rare exceptions) do not sting. “

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Giant Ichneumon

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Subject:  Strange insect
Geographic location of the bug:  Grain Valley MO
Date: 10/02/2021
Time: 02:56 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  We were coming home from independence we live in in grain valley this was on our windshield
How you want your letter signed:  Lisa Gerlt

Giant Ichneumon

Dear Lisa,
This is a Giant Ichneumon in the genus
Megarhyssa, probably Megarhyssa macrurus.  Because of the long ovipositor which the female uses to lay eggs beneath the bark of deciduous trees infested with wood boring larvae, they are sometimes called Stump Stabbers.  You can read more about this parasitoid wasp on BugGuide.

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Stump Stabber sighted in Michigan

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Subject:  What is this flying insect? It was about 3” long with approx a 3” stinger (?) attached.
Geographic location of the bug:  Near Battle Creek, MI
Date: 08/20/2022
Time: 04:00 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Appreciate you identifying this insect for us. We have never seen one of these before and have live here for over 60 years!
V/r
How you want your letter signed:  Dave Hlatko

Stump Stabber

Dear Dave,
Thanks for your inquiry.  This is one of Daniel’s favorite insects to educate about,
Megarhyssa atrataa species commonly called the Giant Ichneumon or Stump Stabber.  Daniel distinctly remembers as a child seeing an impressive image of a Giant Ichneumon in his copy of Insects: A Guide to Familiar American Insects.  Your individual is a female and what you have mistaken for a stinger is her ovipositor, an organ that allows her to deposit her eggs.  In the case of the Giant Ichneumon, the ovipositor is able to drill into dead and dying wood to lay an egg near the tunnel produced by the larva of the Pigeon Horntail, a type of Wood Wasp.  Because of her ability to oviposit, the Giant Ichneumon is sometimes called a Stump Stabber.  The stingers of bees and wasps are modified ovipositors that have evolved into an organ that helps to defend the insect from threats.  

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Wasp With Long Tail May Be Ichneumon

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Finding a large long tailed bug near your house is surely a cause for concern. However, its likely that the wasp with long tail may be ichneumon, a gentle giant with no intention or means to hurt you. Let’s learn more about these wasps below

If you see a giant black menacing-looking wasp with a long tail in the park, garden, or near a trail, it is most likely a black giant ichneumon wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus).

Despite their appearance, these wasps are actually benign and even beneficial to the garden. They are not aggressive and don’t bite humans.

These wasps are particularly famous for their long ovipositors, which many confuse for stingers, but are actually only useful for laying their eggs. 

The female ichneumon wasp bores a tunnel using her needle-like ovipositor into stumps of dead wood and lays her eggs on the larvae of pigeon horntail wood wasps.

When the egg hatches, it eats the host larvae and then pupates in the wood until it is time to fly out and reinitiate the process.

Wasp With Long Tail May Be Ichneumon

Do They Bite or Sting?

No, as we mentioned earlier, these long tailed wasps do not bite or sting. These wasps do not have stingers at all.

In fact, many people’s first reaction when they see them is that they are encountering a wasp with long stinger, but that’s not the case at all.

The females of this wasp species have five-inch long ovipositors, which are used to lay eggs. 

These ovipositors can bore through wood and can be deadly to the host they are parasitizing but are not useful against humans or other predators.

The poor males don’t even have the ovipositor!

Can They Spread Disease?

No, black giant ichneumon wasps do not spread any disease known to man. They are mostly harmless and typically don’t interact with humans at all.

Unless you specifically try to frighten them or handle them, they will show no interest in you. In fact, these flying bugs with long tails are actually beneficial to humans in many ways.

They help in removing wood wasps from your property, which can be a big nuisance since they attack your outdoor wood surfaces and leave behind holes, scratches, and dents.

Are They Harmful to Humans or Pets?

No, these wasps are not harmful in any way to humans or pets. Even though you might think that having a wasp with long tail near your home might be dangerous, there is absolutely nothing to worry about if you see one of them. 

They don’t live very long (just about 27 days), so there’s no need to make efforts to remove them, either.

Wasp With Long Tail May Be Ichneumon

Can They Get In The House?

It is unlikely that these wasps would fly into your house. They only hover around trees with dead wood since their purpose after emerging as adults are to mate and lay eggs.

Their larvae feed on the pigeon horntail wasp larvae, making sure to leave the essential body parts till the very end so that the meat remains fresh.

Since the larvae of these wasps with long tails pupate and overwinter inside the tree itself, they don’t have to take shelter in your home to protect themselves from cold weather.

During the summers, the adult wasp only sits on trees and doesn’t even need to make a nest.

How To Get Rid of Them?

If you see a giant ichneumon wasp in your garden or yard, there is absolutely no reason for you to remove it or get rid of it.

These bugs are not harmful to humans, they don’t bite or sting us, and they don’t feed on anything in your garden. 

Moreover, they help remove pigeon horntail wood wasps and other small insects from your yard, so they are beneficial to gardeners.

They don’t make nests like other wasps or bees and are solitary bugs, so you will never see a swarm of these bugs attacking you.

All in all, we suggest that you just let the wasp be. It will hopefully leave your garden for its final abode within a month, anyway.

Wasp With Long Tail May Be Ichneumon

Where Do They Lay Their Eggs?

Black giant ichneumon wasps are parasitoids. As we mentioned earlier, they like to lay eggs on the pigeon horntail wasp lava.

These larvae are usually found inside dead wood. The giant ichneumon female wasp searches for them using her long antennae, hoping to hear some vibration from the movement of the wood wasps’ babies.

When she is sure of it, this flying bug with long tail takes out her ovipositor and drills into the wood. Over the course of three to four hours, she is able to penetrate the wood precisely at the location where the wood wasps larvae are present.

Next, she injects these larvae with a venomous sting (don’t worry, their venom is not powerful enough for humans) and paralyzes them.

She then deposits her egg outside the larvae’s now paralyzed body, and after a few days, when the eggs hatch, the ichneumon larvae make a meal of the wood wasp larvae.

The egg-laying activity usually happens during the June to September months, but the larvae take their own sweet time to feed. They then pupate and overwinter, spending the winter season inside their cocoons.

In the summer or spring months, they emerge as adult ichneumon wasps and restart the process.

Wasp With Long Tail May Be Ichneumon

What Are They Attracted To?

There is one sure-shot way to attract these wasps with long stingers – to have dead wood around the house. 

Since their primary purpose as adult wasps is to reproduce, these guys are always on the lookout for dead wood bearing the larvae of pigeon horntail wood wasps.

Their natural habitat is deciduous forests, but rapid deforestation by human activity has caused them also to inhabit some areas where humans are living, such as parks and gardens.

Readers’ Mail

Over the years, we have received dozens of emails from our readers who have seen these beautiful but fearsome long stinger wasps (which turned out not to be a stinger at all!).

Let’s revisit some of these letters below.

Letter 1 – Giant Ichneumon

 

Long tailed bug
May 27, 2010
Yellow head and antenae, very long tail. WIngs (two) and rather clumsy. Exploring pansies in planter and will fall off.
M. Temple
New England – Medfield MA

Giant Ichneumon

Dear M. Temple,
Many people are shocked or frightened when they encounter a Giant Ichneumon, Megarhyssa atrata, for the first time.  The Giant Ichneumon is a parasitoid insect that preys upon the wood boring larvae of another non-stinging wasp relative, the Pigeon Horntail.  A female Giant Ichneumon, like the one in your photo, locates a wood boring Horntail larva and then drills into the stump or trunk with her five inch ovipositor.  Male Giant Ichneumons do not have an ovipositor.

Letter 2 – Squashed Giant Ichneumon

 

large wasp-type bug with long ‘tail’
November 17, 2009
This bug came in when we opened our back door one evening a few nights ago. Sorry, my husband squished it. The envelope it’s sitting on is a business-sized (10 inch) envelope for size reference. It’s very dark or black with a long jointed looking body, black wings and the really long tail that totally creeps me out. 🙂
Scaredy Cat
North Texas/DFW

Squashed Giant Ichneumon

Squashed Giant Ichneumon

Dear Scaredy Cat,
This is a female Giant Ichneumon, Megarhyssa atrata, and she is perfectly harmless.  The tail, though it looks like a stinger, is actually an ovipositor.  With her long ovipositor, the female Giant Ichneumon drills into diseased wood to lay an egg on the larva of a wood boring insect, the Pigeon Horntail.

after reading your site for over an hour the night that I posted, I learned the purpose of that long tail thingy. Wish we wouldn’t have squished her. It was fear-induced carnage. 😉 With 3 cats and 2 children she probably wouldn’t have lasted long anyway!
Thanks for responding and confirming what I found on your site. We also have great photos of a wooly caterpiller that looks like what the Japanese Monster Mothra was based upon. 🙂 Can we just submit photos even when we know what the bug is?
Kim

Hi Kim,
You may submit photos, but please use our question form and provide your location.  Also, please do not submit more than one species of insect per letter.  We are very happy to hear you were able to make your identification without our assistance.

The post Wasp With Long Tail May Be Ichneumon appeared first on What's That Bug?.


How To Get Rid Of Ichneumon Wasp: Truth Revealed

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Are you terrified to find a large wasp sitting idly on a tree in your lawn or garden? Well, here’s how to get rid of ichneumon wasps and, more importantly, whether there is anything to be terrified of or not.

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Finding a wasp in your garden or yard can be terrifying, especially if you have pets or children at home. But if you have ever seen the black giant ichneumon wasp, you would know that terror has a new name.

That’s unfortunate because these wasps are actually nothing but beneficial to us and will probably never cause any damage to you or your family.

However, if you would still prefer to get rid of it from your property, read on.

 

How To Get Rid Of Ichneumon Wasp: Truth Revealed

 

What Are They?

Ichneumon wasps are a species of parasitic wasps that live all across the north and central North America in places that have lots of trees.

Their most conspicuous feature is the huge ovipositors on the head of the female, which most people assume to be stingers.

These appendages can be as long as five inches, much more than the rest of the body of the wasp (which is normally about a couple of inches in length (around 1.5 inches).

These ovipositors do have another, more insidious purpose. They help to place the eggs of these wasps into other insects, like caterpillars or grubs.

Ichneumon wasps simply use the other host insects to lay their eggs, and when the eggs hatch, the larvae feed off the other insect, pupate and then come out as adult wasps.

Since they don’t lay eggs in a nest of their own, these wasps have no need to be social. They don’t come together to terrorize humans like bees or hornets.

You will usually find each of them flitting around separately with no other of their species in sight.

Where Do They Come From?

Female wasps lay their eggs in the body of other insects, so if you find grubs or caterpillars in your garden, get ready to hose these ichneumon wasps too.

While their natural habitats are forests and trees, in recent years, due to deforestation, these bugs have started making a home near human settlements as well.

The ichneumon larvae take the entire winter to feed off these poor creatures, and in the spring and summer, they come out as adults, lay more eggs, and then die.

 

How To Get Rid Of Ichneumon Wasp: Truth Revealed

 

Do You Need To Get Rid of Them?

So we know now that these bugs help finish off other pests, which begs the question: do you need to get rid of them at all? Let’s figure it out.

Do They Sting or Bite?

Rarely do ichneumon wasps attack humans. Most actually don’t have stingers, so they can’t sting or bite. They can be intimidating to look at, but they are mostly afraid of humans and will flutter away if they see them coming.

Very few ichneumon wasps have stingers, which, if you try to harm them, they might want to use. But in general, they don’t relish the idea of fighting creatures 20 times their size.

Female ichneumons are often mistaken to have stingers because of their large ovipositors, but these appendages are totally harmless.

Are They Poisonous or Venomous?

No, none of these wasps are poisonous or venomous. Even the few that can sting will not cause much more than a painful rash. You might need to put on some aloe or an ice pack to make the pain subside for a bit.

Are They Harmful To Humans in any Way?

No, they are harmless. In fact, their parasitic nature is actually quite beneficial to humans, especially gardeners and those with plants around.

They are often prey to larger bugs like praying mantises, and their larvae are also prey to ants, spiders, and other insects.

 

How To Get Rid Of Ichneumon Wasp: Truth Revealed

 

How Are Ichneumon Wasps Helpful to Us?

These beneficial wasps have much to offer gardeners and plant lovers. Some of these benefits include:

They feed off other insects: Ichneumon wasps eat many powerful pests of plants, such as boll weevils, wood borers, and hornworms. They can also sometimes feed on spiders.

They lay their eggs in other insects: Typically, the ichneumon wasp will choose a caterpillar or a grub to place her eggs. These eggs hatch to form wasp larvae, which then eat the pest from inside out, leaving nothing but a shell.

They pollinate your plants: Many ichneumon wasps are also good pollinators who would spread pollen to other parts of your garden, helping plants grow.

What To Do If You Want To Control Them?

Despite the long prologue we have made in getting to this part, if you still feel that you need to get rid of ichneumon wasps, here is what you should do.

These wasps lay their eggs on grubs, worms, caterpillars, and other such insects. By using regular treatment in your garden, you can eliminate the population of such bugs.

If you get rid of these insects, ichneumons won’t have any place to put their eggs, and they will have to move out of your garden.

Natural insecticides like neem oil, diatomaceous earth, vinegar, or soapy water will often do the trick.

If you want to spray the wasps directly with insecticides, the best time to do so is in the evening or night, when they are less active.

 

How To Get Rid Of Ichneumon Wasp: Truth Revealed

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get rid of parasitic wasps?

There is actually no need to get rid of them. However, if you want to get it done, you need to control the pest population in your garden first.

Once the pests are gone, the wasps will surely also be gone very quickly. If there are only one or two wasps in your garden, swatting them with a heavy object would also work!

Do ichneumon wasps have nests?

No, they don’t have any nests. Ichneumon wasps lay their eggs directly on insects like caterpillars, mealworms, earthworms, grubs, etc.

Since they don’t need a place to lay their eggs, they never bother to make them. They aren’t social either, because of the same reason.

Can ichneumon wasps sting you?

Most ichneumon wasps don’t have stingers. The female ones have long ovipositors, which they use to lay their eggs but have nothing to do with stinging.

For the few that have stingers, they are mostly harmless and will not approach humans unless the human tries to attack them for some reason.

Are ichneumon wasps beneficial?

They are one of the most beneficial insects to have in your garden. They are able to control the population of most pests quickly, efficiently, and without needing to spend time or money on using chemical insecticides. They keep you safe from insecticides as well.

Wrap Up

There is really no reason for you to try and get rid of ichneumon wasps. These bugs are a powerhouse of pest killing and do the job that most other insecticides cannot do easily.

They will take care of grubs, worms, and other plant-eating insects in a few days’ time. But if you still want to get rid of them, just remove the pests from your garden with some effective pesticides! Thank you for reading.

 

Reader Mails

Do go through some of the emails that we have received about these ichneumon wasps and how our readers have tried to get rid of them from their gardens or yards.

Letter 1 – Giant Ichneumon Swatted with a Broom!!!

 

is this a Pigeon Horntails, Tremex columba???
This thing came flying in my house this morning and scared me and my dog! i grabbed the broom and killed it! then brought it to work to see if anyone had see anything like it before. no one had a clue. so i googled and found your website and after looking around the site, i’m guessing it’s a Pigeon Horntails, Tremex columba? can you confirm that? I live about 30 miles north of Houston in The Woodlands, Texas and I have never seen anything like it. Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks, Jeanie

Hi Jeanie,
While we understand how that long ovipositor can be off-putting, the Giant Ichneumon, Megarhyssa atrata, is harmless to humans. She uses the ovipositor to deposit her eggs in the burrows of wood boring insects, the larval food source. With all the recent publicity about Asian Longhorn Beetles possibly decimating our forests after arriving in this country in wood palettes, the Giant Ichneumons might be our only salvation. I guess your specimen will not be providing any future generations of pest control.

Letter 1 – WHAT IS THIS THING? Ichneumon Wasp

 

Bugman
I work in Medina Ohio and one of My Marines found this bug and we would like to know what it is?? It is about 4 inchs long thank for any help you can give.
SSgt Horton USMC

Dear SSgt Horton,
Your Marines have captured a female Ichneumon Wasp (Meharhyssa species). That long “stinger” is in fact her ovipositor, and she locates wood boring grubs inside trees with her acute hearing, and penetrates the wood with the ovipositor, depositing an egg near the living grub. The egg hatches and has a living dinner, feasting on the grub until the grub dies from the parasite. We have additional information in our Buggy Biography section as well as on the wasp page of www.whatsthatbug.com. Thank you for the great photo.

Letter 1 – Ichneumon species

 

Bug
Hello!
I found an insect living with me a couple of days ago in my California condo which is nestled against a small, grassy hill. At first, I avoided it – I am very afraid of insects, but I have no desire to harm them. Then I became more and more curious because I’ve never seen anything like it before. It looks like a fly’s torso put onto an orange, wasp-like body! It’s about 1 inch long. I overcame my fear enough to trap it and take a few photos for you. What is it?
Best regards,
Lyndie Chiou

Hi Lyndie,
The reason your Ichneumon looks like a wasp is because they are related, though Ichneumons do not sting. What looks like a stinger is in fact the ovipositor, the egg laying organ of the female Ichneumon. She uses the ovipositor to deposit eggs inside the bodies of her host insects, often caterpillars, and the young Ichneumon will eat the prey alive from the inside. Ichneumons are important in the biological control of insect pests, so they are beneficial.

Letter 2 – Unknown Wasp in Washington State is Ichneumon species

 

YellowJacket/Paper Wasp or something else?
Daniel,
Thanks for the Reply. We live in Mill Creek, just south of Everett, Western Washington State. We have a bunch of these (20+) flying low all around our front yard. My best guess would be a Paper Wasp or Yellow Jacket, but the coloring doesn’t match any of the pictures I found. Just wondering if we need to have someone come out and take care of them. We’ve check the closest tree and the house eves and don’t see any nests. They don’t seem to go into the back yard, or the neighbors front yard. They are not aggressive at all. They don’t seem to care if we are walking through the yard or not.. Thanks Again..
Stephen

hi Stephen,
Thanks for writing back so quickly and providing a location. That is so critical with many identifications. We can tell you that this is NOT a yellow jacket nor a paper wasp, but we are not exactly sure what it is and it will require some research. Meanwhile, we will also contact Eric Eaton for identification assistance.

Daniel:
The wasp is an ichneumon wasp, family Ichneumonidae. Pretty much impossible to give a more specific identification without having the actual specimen to look at under a microscope. As larvae, alll ichneumons are parasitic on other insects (spiders in a few cases).
Eric

Letter 3 – Ichneumon from the UK

 

Subject:  Found this critter in the kitchen today.
Geographic location of the bug:  Sheffield, UK
August 26, 2017 12:33 AM
Can you identify this bug.  Sheffield UK
How you want your letter signed:  No

Ichneumon

Dear No,
This is a parasitoid Ichneumon Wasp and there are several pictured on Nature Spot that look similar including
Buathra laborator which is described on Nature Spot as being “Quite a large blackish insect with mainly orange legs. There are other similar species and expert help is needed with identification. ”  Also similar looking is Pimpla rufipes which is described on Nature Spot as being:  “Length about 15 mm. A mainly black species, but with bright orange legs, the hind pair of legs being only slightly larger than the other pairs. The ovipositor of the female is quite thick and short and the ‘waist’ between the thorax and abdomen is also quite short” and “Mainly an autumn species.”

 

Letter 4 – Pseudoscorpion: Phoresy on an Ichneumon

 

Ichneumon Species-New Find!
Daniel,
In addition to the email i sent earlier, i hope you received it. I was out taking more pics of bugs today, in my yard in Houston, Texas and i happened to catch a strange little, very little, bug hitching a ride on an Ichneumons antennae. I thought it was just a piece of skin or something while taking pics. I didn’t notice the little bug til i got them on the computer. What is this lil bug?
Tracy Palmer

Hi Tracy,
It takes quite some time to plod through all of a given day’s emails, and many do not get read. This is a marvelous set of images. They depict a Pseudoscorpion hitching a ride, a practice known as Phoresy, on an Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa. Because so many people find Pseudoscorpions in their homes, we have devoted an entire page to them.

Letter 5 – Ichneumon from New Zealand

 

Subject: Wasp???
Location: Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand
March 23, 2014 10:11 am
Hi there. Attached is a picture of a wasp-like creature I found in my windowsill. I’ve never seen one before and a friend who lives nearby also found one in her house and has also never seen it before. We live in Whangarei, New Zealand which is in Northland (at the North of the North Island). We wanted to make sure it wasn’t a new immigrant.
Signature: Jana in New Zealand

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Jana,
This is an Ichneumon, member of a group of Parasitic Wasps that prey upon Arthropods.  Many species of Ichneumons are very host specific, often preying upon a single species of Lepidoptera, Hemiptera or even one of the Arachnids.  Identifying the exact species of Ichneumon in the large and confusing family Ichneumonidae is a daunting task, but if you want to pursue that route, the Landcare Research site for New Zealand might be a good point of departure.

Letter 6 – Ichneumon from Alaska

 

Subject: Crane Fly or Other?
Location: Wasilla Alaska
July 22, 2013 4:21 am
Hi, my son is six and at a time of q&a with me, his homeschooling mom, about everything he encounters. I never realized how little I know about the immediate world around me until recently! I’m determined to keep up and thus I have landed here on your site. I am hoping this is just a Crane Fly type, but the thorax pattern and long stinger throw that idea off a bit. Please help. Kind Regards,
Signature: Curious’s Mom

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Curious’s Mom,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a group of parasitoid wasps that prey upon other insects and arthropods.  The “stinger” is actually an ovipositor, and many Ichnuemons use the ovipositor to deposit eggs beneath the surface of stumps and logs that are infested with wood boring insects.  Those Ichneumons are commonly called Stump Stabbers.  We don’t get many submissions from Alaska, and we try to identify creatures to the species level whenever possible, but Ichneumons are a large group of insects and many species are not well described.  Your Ichneumon appears to be a very different species from this previous Ichneumon from Alaska that we posted several years ago.  Your individual does look very similar to this member of the genus Rhyssa that is posted to BugGuide.

Letter 7 – Ichneumon from Singapore

 

Subject: What’s yellow and black and has a long stinger?
Location: Singapore
April 7, 2014 10:57 pm
Hello!
I’m in Singapore and last night I looked down to find an insect crawling on my shoulder. (I was in bed, so…that was not fun.) It’s about the size of my thumb’s distal phalanx bone, and the stinger(?) looks quite long. Please help, I’m hoping it’s not a wasp!
Thanks for reading~
Signature: Jamie

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Jamie,
This is a Parasitic Wasp known as an Ichneumon, and for many years we claimed that Ichneumons did not sting.  What you have taken for a stinger is actually the ovipositor of the female Ichneumon.  We later learned that some Ichneumons are capable of stinging humans, but they are a rarity among the large number of members in the family.  According to BugGuide:  “arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  As a side note, the stinger in bees and wasps is a modified ovipositor that has adapted to multitasking:  laying eggs as well as stinging potential threats.

Dear Daniel,
Thank you for the identification, and it’s good to know it’s unlikely to have stung me since it wasn’t that big! (I let it go later as well, so now I don’t have to feel too bad about letting a potentially harmful insect go around my place.) Also, huh, I always thought the stinger for bees/wasps was specifically for stinging. The more you know…!
Thanks again so much!
Cheers,
Jamie

Hi Jamie,
We should clarify one matter regarding the stingers of Bees and Wasps.  Generally, social species have a queen and workers with the workers being sterile females.  The stingers of the sterile, social workers, including Honey Bees and Hornets, only serves as a stinger.  In those cases, the modification that has evolved is no longer capable of multitasking.

Letter 8 – Ichneumon from UK

 

Beetle? Fly? Wasp?
Location: Radcliffe, Lancashire, NW UK.
June 30, 2011 11:18 am
Hi, I have today found an insect and I have no clue what it is. Dimensions are included on one of the pictures. I have performed a search online but can find nothing like it, the closest in terms of shape would be the Snake Fly. 30/06/2011, weather slightly breezy, intermittent clouds/sun and 16 degrees celsius.
Many thanks for your help,
Chris.
Signature: CPS

Ichneumon

Hi Chris,
This is a Parasitoid Wasp known as an Ichneumon.  The closest match on the Bugs and Weeds website is identified as
Ichneumon suspiciosus agg. and this is the information that is provided:  “Like many Ichneumon species, this is a member of an aggregate group of very similar looking species (hence the ‘agg.’ suffix) that cannot be definitively identified without recourse to close microscopic scrutiny.  The yellow and black banded antennae and legs and an overall length of 15mm (excluding antennae) suggests that it might possibly be Ich. suspiciosus – or something similar!  It is an endoparasite of moth larvae. That is, the adult female ichneumon inserts an egg under the skin of a caterpillar and the resultant wasp larva will slowly develop internally within the caterpillar until the caterpillar enters pupation. The parasite will then enter its own pupation and, on completion of its metamorphosis, will be the sole adult insect to emerge.  This will take place in summer or autumn and the emergent adult will hibernate throughout the winter to fly again in spring coincident with the emegence of adult moths and the next generation of their caterpillars.”  UK Safari also has a photo.  Your individual is black and white, but it looks very similar.  We suspect it is a closely related species.  It should be noted that Ichneumons can be very difficult to accurately identify to the species level.  The ISpot website has a very close match that is not identified.

Letter 9 – Ichneumon Wasp

 

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.

Letter 10 – Ichneumon from Hungary

 

Subject: Strange bug with long sting
Location: Hungary, Fót
May 20, 2014 6:27 am
Dear Bugman!
I have found this strange bug in my friend’s house in Fót, a small town near Budapest the capital of Hungary.
Sadly he has killed it, and took it’s head off for it to not suffer.
He was scared that it might be a tropical mosquito which came with a shipment of bananas.
Could you please tell me, what kind of bug is this, and if it’s any dangerous?
Signature: Tom

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Tom,
This is a parasitic wasp, most likely an Ichneumon, and though it is quite frightening, Ichneumons are not aggressive and they do not attempt to sting humans.  What appears to be a stinger is actually an ovipositor, an organ that has evolved so that the female can deposit her eggs where they will hatch and the developing larva will have access to a food supply.  Your individual resembles the North American Stump Stabbers in the genus
Megarhyssa, and the female wasp uses her ovipositor to deposit eggs in stumps and branches that are infested with wood boring larvae of Wood Wasps known as Pigeon Horntails as the larvae of the Pigeon Horntail is the sole food of the larvae of the Stump Stabber.  Your Ichneumon looks very similar to this Perithous species that is pictured on FlickR.  Alas, the folks who post to FlickR never seem to provide a location for their images.

Letter 11 – Gasteruptiidae Wasp, not Ichneumon

 

Pelecinid?
Hi Daniel and Lisa,
When I first saw this flying critter, I thought that it was a pelecinid. After doing some research, I’m not very convinced that this is what this is. It was maybe a 1 inch to an inch and half from head to the end of its ovipositor. I’m guessing that it’s an ovipositor and not a stinger. had rescued it from my pool, and was able to get some shots of it while it dried its wings. Any info or direction you can give me in identifying this insect is very appreciated. Thanks!
Yvonne
Barrie, Ontario

Ed. Note When Yvonne first wrote to us, we misidentified her Gasteruptiidae Wasp as an Ichneumon without posting it. She has since sought the assistance of BugGuide, which we thoroughly endorse since they are a vast network of scientific information. Yvone then wrote back with BugGuide’s findings.

(07/09/2007) Ichneumon or Gasteruptiidae wasp
Hello again,
According to some other sources, the image I sent to you is not of an Ichneumon, but of a Gasteruptiidae wasp. I’m not sure if the jury is still out, but so far, that is what the consensus is. Do you still think it’s an ichneumon?
Yvonne

Hi again Yvonne,
Thank you for bringing this error to our attention. Remember, we are artists without entomological training.

Letter 12 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Large fly
Location: Southeasterd Pennsylvania
July 28, 2017 12:05 pm
This bugger showed up in our kitchen. His body was well over an inch in length. Interesting eyes. He’s now outside somewhere, having bee released, as we do to all creatures we find ion the house, except ants, mosquitoes, and pantry moths. Spiders and Scutigera usually get to stay as they’re eating something.
Signature: Huffy

Ichneumon

Dear Huffy,
This Ichneumon is not a Fly.  It is a parasitoid wasp.

Letter 13 – Ichneumon from Israel

 

Five-eyed wasp?
February 14, 2010
Hi Bug People!
On my weekend hike in the nothwestern Negev desert, Israel, I came across this wasp. I don’t even know where to start looking for information on it. It wasn’t very active and let me take close ups.
Later, when I looked at the pictures, I noticed three extra ‘eyes’ on its head. Any ideas that might point me in the right direction would be appreciated!
It was about 2.5cm (1 inch) long, dull orange, with very long antennae. I saw no ovipositor so I’m guessing it’s a male.
Thanks!
Ben
Northwest Negev, Israel

Ichneumon

Hi again Ben,
WE are relatively certain this is an Ichneumon, a family of parasitory wasps that is nearly impossible to identify to the species or even genus level without inspection of the actual specimen by an expert. Many wasps have three simple ocelli in addition to two compound eyes.

Ichneumon

Letter 14 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: What is this?
Location: Orange, nsw, Australia
February 20, 2014 4:25 am
Hi bug man, this flew into our house, i have never seen anything like it, could you please tell me what it is.
Signature: Tara

Crane Fly

Ichneumon

Hi Tara,
We believe this is a Crane Fly in the family Tipulidae.  There are some images on the Brisbane Insect site that look similar.

Correction
Subject: “Tipulidae” from Australia
February 22, 2014 11:52 am
Hi,
on Feb. Feb.20, 2014 “Tara” posted an isect from New South Wales, Australia.  You answered that this might be a crane fly / Tipulidae, but if you look at the wing venation it is evident that this insect does not belong to the Diptera at all, it’s Hymenoptera. It’ another parasitic Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae or Braconidae. You may compare the wing venation of a Tipulidae here: http://www.metafysica.nl/nature/insect/hennig1954_7.jpg
Kind regards Erwin
Signature: Erwin Beyer

Thanks Erwin.  Because of an earlier comment, we have already addressed this error, and we will add your comment to the posting.

Letter 15 – Unidentified Ichneumon from Pacific Northwest

 

Subject: Ichneumon in Pacific Northwest
Location: Lacey, Washington (Southwestern Washington )
June 30, 2014 6:33 pm
Hello,
I used whatsthatbug.com to identify some new visitors to my front yard. After finding in your 2008 archives what appears to be the same wasp as I have, I would like to share some photos with you to share if you wish.
Signature: Lisa

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Dear Lisa,
Thank you for sending additional images of this still unidentified Ichneumon from the Pacific Northwest.

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Letter 16 – Black Swallowtail Caterpillar Metamorphoses into Chrysalis: Ichneumon Emerges!!!

 

this was supposed to be a black swallowtail butterfly
Location:  southwest ohio
August 11, 2010 4:19 pm
i found a black swallowtail caterpillar,

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar: Beginning Metamorphosis

(found that on your site) in my front yard. a few days later it put itself in a cacoon or chrysalis. yesterday i noticed something flying in the container but it was way to small to be my butterfly. WHAT IS THIS??????????
BIBEF

Black Swallowtail Chrysalis

Dear BIBEF,
By all outward appearances, your Black Swallowtail had begun its metamorphosis into a chrysalis and things should have culminated in the emergence of a butterfly, but while it was still a caterpillar, your individual was parasitized by a type of wasp known as an Ichneumon.  We quickly identified the adult Ichneumon that you photographed as
Trogus pennator, which BugGuide indicates “is a parasitoid of swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae), ovipositing in the caterpillars. The female Ichneumon lays a solitary egg inside the caterpillar using her stingerlike ovipositor.  BugGuide has a nice series of images documenting this process. The Ichneumon Larva develops inside the the caterpillar, feeding upon its internal organs and allowing it to pupate into a chrysalis.  At some point hidden from view, the Ichneumon Larva undergoes its own metamorphosis into a pupa, eventually emerging as an adult wasp and chewing its way out of the chrysalis through an irregular hole.  The adult butterfly will not emerge once it has been parasitized.  BugGuide also has a photo that illustrates that action.  Back in the seventeenth century in Germany, artist and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian became one of the first people to notice and document insect metamorphosis at a time when the accepted theory was spontaneous generation.  Maria Sibylla Merian observed that caterpillars formed pupae and emerged as moths and butterflies as part of a natural process of metamorphosis, but she was puzzled that some caterpillars did not metamorphose in a typical manner, emerging instead as flies or wasps.  She documented this puzzle in her intricate drawings which were published in a two volume book known as Caterpillars, Their Wondrous Transformation and Peculiar Nourishment from Flowers or simply The Caterpillar Book.  You should be able to see the hole in the chrysalis.  As a point of clarification, butterflies do not form a cocoon as their pupae are bare.  A cocoon is usually spun of silk to cover a naked pupa.  Most moths form a cocoon to protect the pupa.

Ichneumon: Trogus pennator

 

Letter 17 – Cocoon of an Ichneumon

 

Beautiful egg or chrysalis
Location:  Cherokee County, NC
August 23, 2010 5:28 pm
I’ve seen these things every now and then, but I’ve never been able to find an image(or identification for that matter) of them online.
The ”capsule” was hanging from a thread about an inch long that was fastened to the underside of a privet leaf. It reminds me of a lacewing’s egg, but I’ve never seen one this color, and image searches proved to be useless as well. I figure that it could possibly be some sort of chrysalis, but it’s rather small and seems to be fairly smooth.
Any ID or some pointers leading to an ID is greatly appreciated. I love checking in on the site every day or two to see what’s new.
Jacob

Ichneumon Cocoon

Hi Jacob,
We opened your photo and letter the other day, and we were pressed for time and we didn’t know where to begin with your identification.  Today, we were trying to identify an Ichneumon image that was sent to us and we stumbled across this posting on BugGuide that is identified as the Cocoon of an Ichneumon in the subfamily Campopleginae.  Bingo, that was your cocoon.  Please excuse the late response.  We identified this mystery quite by accident and then we had to go through old mail to locate your letter.  Luckily the subject line was memorable.  Here is the comment Charley Elseman posted to BugGuide:  “One of many subfamilies of ichneumonids. Most other ichneumonids form cocoons within their hosts, or at least within their hosts’ cocoons, and as far as I know none have fancy patterns like this. I think that many different campoplegines make cocoons with a pattern reminiscent of this one, but only a few suspend them from a string like this. Bob Carlson may be able to say something more specific about it.
”  Bob Patterson wrote this comment:  “See the page on Parasites, Predators and Parasitoids at MPG. There is no doubt equivalent and even better material to be found here at BugGuide.

Thanks for the identification! That link to BugGuide helped ID some of the little wasps that have been sneaking around the house lately on top of helping to ID the cocoon.

 

Letter 18 – Future Ichneumons will benefit

 

GREAT SITE
Dear Bugman,
Thanks for the great site. I have a cabin in Northern Michigan, and over the past couple of years, I have noticed a very large strange looking insects which I have not been able to identify in any bug book that I have looked at…but I did find it on your site, along with a lot of very informative information. The insects were giant ichneumon. Unfortunate to say though, there were several on the one tree, and with having small kids around, a bug that size that looked like a wasp, was met with a dose of wasp spray. I wish that I had read your articles earlier, and finding out that they are harmless, they could have provided some interesting viewing, expecially after knowing that they did not sting. Thanks for the great site, keep it up and running, as it is definatly one of the most informative bug sites that I have found. Sam

Thanks for your kind letter Sam. Future Ichneumons thank you as well.

Letter 19 – Ichneumon

 

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.

Letter 20 – Ichneumon

 

Redish-brown flying insect, looks somewhat like a wasp, but with no stiner or visible mandibles
Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 4:43 AM
We live in the Puget Sound area in Washington state on Whidbey Island. It rains often, is overcast when it isn’t raining, and it is to be expected that there’ll be bugs trying to enter the home to escape the water.
We found this bug in our hallway after walking the dog around 4 in the morning. It’s been unusually cold for this time of year, and has been raining for the past 3 days.
We captured the bug between a cup and saucer and took this photo, afterwards we released it into the bushes outside the apartment.
Apartment Dweller
Whidbey Island, Puget Sound Area of Washington State

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Apartment Dweller,
This is an Ichneumon.  Ichneumons are a group of parasitic wasps that prey upon different insects.  This may be a male Ichneumon which would explain the lack of a stinger.  Many female Ichneumons, especially in the genus Megarhyssa,  have highly developed ovipositors, some up to five inches long.  These organs are needed to locate wood burrowing larvae that serve as food for the young.  Other Ichneumons have much smaller ovipositors.  This is a large confusing group of insects, and we rarely attempt to make specific species or genus identification attempts.

Letter 21 – Ichneumon

 

Unknown bug pictures included
Sat, Mar 28, 2009 at 6:26 AM
We are finding these bugs at our house. A few weeks ago we found 2 very small bugs (babies) that flew into the house. They appeared to be attreacted to lampshades or light fixtures. We are now seeing larger ones outside hanging out on the outside of our sliding glass door and windows. This particular bug is 3/4 of an inch from tip of ‘tail’ to tip of anntenae. They look like ants with wings, but with long anttenae and a possible stinger from the back portion. It is straight and does not ever appear curved or fluid in movement. We are not seeing a tremendous amount, and only one at a time seems to be around.
Vickie
Maryland

Ichneumon: genus Pimpla???

Ichneumon: genus Pimpla???

Hi Vickie,
This is an Ichneumon, a family of parasitic wasps that prey on a variety of host insects and arthropods.  Ichneumons will not harm you nor your home, and they are important biological controls for keeping insect populations in check.  We believe your example may be in the genus Pimpla as evidenced by images posted to BugGuide.

Letter 22 – Ichneumon

 

Ichneumon wasp
October 5, 2009
Dear Bugman, I am resubmitting this tiny wasp from july 30, 2009. After sending it to Bugguide, it was identified on Oct. 4, as Messatoporus rufiventris. I thought it ironic, that she should stand on the ISBN of an insect identification book. I have an old camera with no macro. So the photos aren’t the best. Thanks for looking.
Terry
Mound, MN

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Terry,
Thanks so much for resubmitting your images of an Ichneumon after it has been properly identified on BugGuide.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Letter 23 – Ichneumon

 

Unknown possible bee?
May 28, 2010
Hi bugman,
I found this bug in my kitchen on a wooded mountain in northern Maryland a few evenings ago. It has transparent folded wings that aren’t visible in the picture. It’s between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch long. Its patterns are very beautiful and have great contrast, and it has a small black eye surrounded by white on each side of its head as well as black and white stripes on a sort of yellowish body. I’ve never seen this bug before that I remember. I’m really not sure what it is. I’d appreciate any info. you could offer.
Thanks so much!
Steiv
Thurmont, MD

Ichneumon

Hi Steiv,
This is an Ichneumon Wasp, and we believe we have identified it as Messatoporus discoidalis on BugGuide, though Ichneumons are notoriously difficult to identify.  Ichneumons are parasitoid wasps, and according to BugGuide, depending upon the species, their prey includes:  “a great variety of hosts (mostly immature stages) is used, though most species attack only a few host types; some infest spiders and other non-insect arthropods.
”  If our identification is correct, your Ichneumon is in the tribe Cryptini, and according to BugGuide:  “Cryptini search for hosts primarily among foliage (rather than in the soil or ground litter) and have larger average size.

Letter 24 – Ichneumon

 

Crazy looking flying ant-like creature
Location: Victoria, B.C.
June 23, 2011 11:02 pm
Found this in the mid-spring. It was just sitting on these blossoms for hours. I saw another one of them but way smaller. So I thought perhaps this is a queen or something. But if you can see, it has a very long needle thing out the back end of it. It looks like a flying ant but very unique qualities. I really want to know what this is! Thank you in advance.
Signature: Well Done!

Ichneumon

Dear Well Done!,
This is some species of Icheumon, though we are uncertain of he species.  Ichneumons are parasitic relatives of wasps and bees.  The long stinger is an ovipositor that is an organ the female uses to lay eggs.  Ichneumons are parasitic on a variety of insects.

Letter 25 – Ichneumon

 

Bug on my window
Location: Chicago, IL (downtown)
April 8, 2012 6:59 pm
Hello Bugman,
I live on the 19th floor of my apartment building in downtown Chicago. I saw this bug on my window and decided it was best not to open the window given that I have no screens. Is this thing venomous? Do you know what it is?
Signature: Catharine

Ichneumon

Dear Catharine,
This is a species of parasitic Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, a large family whose members are known as Ichnuemons or Ichneumon Wasps.  The female is identified by her long ovipositor, an organ that has been adapted into a stinger in many species of bees and wasps, though most species of Ichneumons are not capable of stinging humans.  The ovipositor in Ichneumons is used to deposit eggs in or near the bodies of the host prey for the larva, and in the case of the Stump Stabbers that have an ovipositor as long as five inches, this involves drilling into dead and dying wood to locate the wood boring larvae of Wood Wasps, their sole host.  Ichneumons can be very difficult to identify to the species level, but we believe your species might be
Coleocentrus rufus which we found on BugGuide.  The genus page for Coleocentrus rufus on BugGuide states:  “hosts unknown for most NA spp. (a lepturine reported for C. flavipes),” and that may mean that the host for your species is also a wood boring beetle larva in the Longhorned Borer family Cerambycidae, subfamily Lepturinae.

Letter 26 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: With butterflies come biological controls…
Location: Winnipeg MB
June 3, 2012 10:02 am
As much as we humans love butterflies, so do other insects – as food. This ichneumon was found in my small plastic greenhouse, which works as a spectacular bug trap. I identified it in Bugguide as Trogus pennator, a swallowtail caterpillar parasite.
Signature: Bugophile in Winnipeg

Ichneumon

Dear Bugophile in Winnipeg,
We commend you on your identification.  Ichneumons are a diverse and varied group of parasitic wasps and they are not easy to identify and we are linking to the BugGuide page for the species.  We also have photos in our archive of a
Trogus pennator that emerged from a Black Swallowtail Chrysalis.  Thanks for sending us your photograph.

Letter 27 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: five eyed bug
Location: Northern Vermont
September 30, 2012 8:15 pm
I shot this photo on the siding at night by the light. It seems to have five eyes and an ant-like body. By the shadow, it looks like it has an ant-like mandible as well.
Signature: Kathryn W.

Ichneumon

Hi Kathryn,
This is an Ichneumon, a type of parasitoid wasp that belongs to a large family that is often difficult to identify to the species level.
  According to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates(3)).”

Letter 28 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Nighttime waspy thing?!
Location: Southern New Jersey just outside of Philadelphia
April 30, 2013 9:28 pm
Hello bugman! I have these annoying, non-aggressive wasp type bugs all over our property. I usually only find them at night, except for the occasional one that sneaks inside. I caught one the other day and he tried continuously to sting the paper towel, with what resembled a small stinger on his back end. They aren’t aggressive, they seem very unintelligent, and they are very thin in that there isn’t much matter to them. They are a reddish brown see-through color, with clear wings outlined in the same body color. I’ve found several different sizes of them as well. I’ve never seen or heard of a wasp being active at night, so I’m baffled as to what this could be! Southern NJ just outside Philadelphia, warm days(60-70º), cool spring nights(50-60º). Started noticing them last year around this time, lasting through the summer and warmer months of Fall. Any info you could give would be GREATLY APPRECIATED! Thank you 🙂 (this picture i s zoomed in very close)
Signature: Annoyed in NJ

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Annoyed in NJ,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a member of a very large family of parasitic wasps.  Some species are attracted to lights at night.  See BugGuide for additional information on this family including this tidbit of information:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).” 

Thank you so much for the information and quick response!  I look forward to learning more about these little buggers!

Letter 29 – Ichneumon

 

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.

Letter 30 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: What the..
Location: Vancouver, bc Canada
September 2, 2013 10:58 am
My friend is in Vancouver and she found this beauty in her house. I looked all over this site and the closest I came to it was the short tailed ichneumon.
Signature: Michelle

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Michelle,
We agree that this is an Ichneumon.

Letter 31 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: found this on m kitchen table
Location: Southern California
February 20, 2014 8:41 pm
my son was eating lunch when I noticed this little beauty on my table! It is about 1 inch long, tip of antenna to end of abdomen. Six legs, two sets of wings. So beautiful! I have never seen these in my area before!
Signature: BB

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi BB,
This parasitic Ichneumon Wasp is in the subfamily Ophioninae and you may read more about them on BugGuide.  This is one group that is frequently attracted to lights, and though we generally inform our readers that Ichneumons are harmless, we learned several years ago that this group is known to sting.  According to BugGuide:  “Females have a very compressed abdomen and a short, very sharp ovipositor. The ovipositor can penetrate the human skin; most other ichneumons can’t ‘sting’.”

Letter 32 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Unknown wasp species?
Location: Shenandoah National Park (Madison, VA)
March 16, 2014 9:50 am
Hi there – we ran across this guy in the Shenandoah National Park in the state of Virginia, very near a small mountain stream. We tried to look around on the computer, but couldn’t find a definitive answer and the curiosity is pretty intense now ;). Any folks out there know what this is?
Thanks!
Signature: Curious Virginian

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Curious Virginian,
The best we can provide for you at this time is a family name.  This is an Ichneumon Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae.  According to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  Even if we were able to locate a similar looking individual by browsing through BugGuide, it would most likely require an expert to definitively determine the correct species.

Letter 33 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Slow flying wasp/dragonfly hybrid?
Location: Sammamish, WA
July 14, 2014 4:19 pm
Dear Bugman, we found this flying beauty in iut kitchen today. He/She is approx 2.5″ long in the body with slightly smaller wingspan and a 3″ long stingy stinger looking thing hanging from its rear end. Very beautiful and flies rather slow. Body is black and white with clear wings and bright orangish yellow legs (long and lanky legs with interesting joints). We contained it long enough to take a few photos and some video then let it free outside. Any guess on what it is- I’ve never seen one before?
Signature: The Joyce family

Ichneumon: Rhyssa lineolata

Ichneumon: Rhyssa lineolata

Dear Joyce family,
This is a Parasitic Ichneumon Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, and according to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  We believe we have correctly identified your Ichneumon as
Rhyssa lineolata based on this image posted to BugGuide.

Letter 34 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: What is this???
Location: South Texas
October 22, 2014 10:42 pm
I see these bugs all over my door at night where I live. What is it?? Do they bite/sting? Help..
Signature: Hannah Gohlke

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Hannah,
This is an Ichneumon, a member of a large and diverse family of parasitic wasps.  Most Ichneumons are harmless, but some are capable of stinging, and this does appear to be on of those Ichneumons that sting.

Letter 35 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Weird Red Flying Insect
Location: Mill Creek, WA, USA
February 8, 2015 11:12 pm
Hi! I saw this bug quite a while ago on the side of my house. I just learned about your website so I thought I’d send in my pic! I hope you can help!!
Signature: What?

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear What?,
This is an Ichneumon, a parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, which according to BugGuide has:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).  Your individual looks very similar to this member of the genus
Ophion from Idaho that is pictured on BugGuide.”

Letter 36 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Random Washington bug… I guess
Location: Western Washington
March 10, 2015 9:38 pm
So sometime this last late fall/early winter was the first time I saw this bug. later it they started appearing whenever we would leave the door or a window open. My moms first reaction was to kill it so it took a while for me to even be able to catch one. when i caught the one in the photo I couldn’t get a clear photo of it. so i released it in the bathroom and took a few pictures of it then opened the window. when i looked back at the bug it was gone. i found it like a few mins later on the sink ether paralyzed or dead don’t really know which cause my mom found it before i could get another thing to hold it in and she killed it -_-
Signature: ~Devin

Ichenumon

Ichneumon

Hi Devin,
This is a parasitic wasp known as an Ichneumon.  For many years we thought that Ichneumons were incapable of stinging humans, but we later learned that one particular group of Ichneumons in the genus
Ophion can sting.  According to Nature.com:  “while Ophion is one of the few Ichneumonidæ which are known to sting, and while a small, narrow poison sac has been detected in a few species of that immense family, none has been recorded in Ophion luteus. But whereas the sting is followed in every instance by considerable inflammation and pain, such as would not be the effect of the mere stab of a needle, it seems almost certain that some irritant is injected into the wound, possibly for the purpose of paralysing the fly’s legitimate victim, as in the case of the hunting-wasps.”  According to BugGuide:  “They are often attracted to artificial lights.”  We believe your Ichneumon is in the genus Ophion.  We have tried unsuccessfully to convince folks that Crane Flies do NOT sting, and we believe they have been mistaking these Ichneumons for Crane Flies.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Letter 37 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Wasp?
Location: 70363
April 15, 2016 7:12 am
We found this bug but not familiar with it
Signature: Ryan duthu

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Ryan,
Your wasp is a parasitic Ichneumon.  According to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”

Letter 38 – Female Stump Stabber missing her ovipositor

 

Subject: Never saw this one
Location: Pennsylvania
May 31, 2016 5:10 pm
Hey bugman,
My son happened to find this interesting looking flying bug. It was buzzing along the grass. Not sure if it was injured. Any idea?
Signature: Sincerely, Mike from Philly

Ichneumon

Female Stump Stabber, missing her ovipositor

Dear Mike from Philly,
We can tell you that this is a parasitic Ichneumon Wasp, but we are having trouble conclusively identifying it to the species level, so we have contacted Eric Eaton and explained out doubts.  The yellow antennae and shape of the abdomen rule out a male
Megarhyssa atrata which is pictured on BugGuide and Beetles in the Bush, and all the examples of  Therion morio on BugGuide have black heads.  What this Ichneumon looks most like to us is a female Stump Stabber, Megarhyssa atrata, but with a missing ovipositor, a condition we could not really explain.  See this BugGuide image for comparison.  We will get back to you when we hear from Eric Eaton.

Ichneumon

Maimed Female Stump Stabber

Definitely agree with you that it closely resembles the female stump stabbed after doing a little more research on the Internet.  But why no ovipositor? Can it become disconnected when/after laying its eggs? Could a bird have eaten just that part of it? Hopefully Mr.  Eaton has an idea.
Thank you so much for responding to me.  Can’t wait to tell my son.  Keep me posted.

Eric Eaton Confirms our suspicions
Daniel:
This is a *female* M. atrata that has lost her ovipositor.  Sometimes they get “stuck” while in operation, and/or the wasp needed to flee a potential predator.  I have frequently found ovipositors lodged in logs or stumps, the wasp having been consumed by a predator while in the act of laying eggs.
Eric

Thanks for the confirmation Eric.
I have heard that sometimes the females get stuck while ovipositing and cannot withdraw, dying in the act.  Is that also true?
Daniel

Letter 39 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Unidentified wasp
Location: Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Southern Quebec
November 11, 2016 11:07 am
Hi again,
I found a wasp at the Ecomuseum, in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, southern Quebec, on the third of october. I made some researches and came up with 3 species names. Do you think you could correctly identify it based on the picture?
Thank you so much!
Signature: Camille

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Camille,
This is a parasitic Ichneumon Wasp, a member of a very large family with many similar looking individuals.  This white striped antennae pattern is common in the family, and there are many similar looking species on the Parasitica, Ichneumon wasps, Ichneumonidae site, including an image identified as
Coelichneumon sinisterBugGuide has an image identified as Coelichneumon barnstoni that also looks very similar.  Alas, we cannot be certain of its species identification.

Letter 40 – Ichneumon

 

Horntail? (Kirkland, WA)
I have two, sometimes three of these, everyday, on the south facing windows. On the inside. Have not seen these insects around the home in previous years, but two events may explain (aside from the season). The first is the neighbor’s house was destrpyed by fire, the second I have had the torch down roof replaced. Now some of these insects I see each day have an ovipositor and some like this one pictured, don’t. And then again, some have an orange banding around their bodies and not yellow … and there appears to be an armored shell. The picture was taken using a Nikon Coolpix 775. The insect is in a glass jar. Wasps or horntails?
regards
chrisE

Hi chrisE,
This appears to be a male Ichneumon. Females have the long ovipositors. Eggs are laid deep inside dead and dying trees since the larval food is wood boring insects. Ichneumons are related to wasps. Eric Eaton added the following: ” Oh, that male ichneumon could be a female. Not all female ichneumons have a long ovipositor. In fact, most don’t.”

Letter 41 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Creepy bug
Location: New Jersey Pine Barrens
July 16, 2017 4:12 pm
I found this bug in the shower stalls at my camp and it didn’t bother me, but I have not been able to identify it and would really like to know what it is. I found it in the summer in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
Signature: Cate

Ichneumon

Dear Cate,
We believe we have correctly identified your parasitoid Ichneumon as
Xorides stigmapterus thanks to this BugGuide image.  According to BugGuide of the genus:  “hosts: wood-boring beetles, especially Buprestidae and Cerambycidae.”

Letter 42 – Ichneumon

 

Subject:  Tiny and Friendly… Wasp?
Geographic location of the bug:  Greensboro, North Carolina U.S.A.
Date: 10/06/2017
Time: 01:19 PM EDT
I found this small, winged insect in my bathroom sink this morning. At first I thought he was dead, but when I put my finger in front of him he crawled onto my fingernail. I took him outside where he cleaned himself off, investigated my hand, and eventually flew away. To give you an idea of his size, that’s my pinky finger that he’s perched on. I’ve tried to identify him for the past hour with no luck. He seems to have the body shape of some of the spider wasps I’ve found on the Internet, but his size and coloring doesn’t match. Any help putting a name to my new “friend” would be wonderfully appreciated!
How you want your letter signed:  Thank you so much, Corey

Ichneumon

Dear Corey,
This is a Parasitoid Ichneumon Wasp and it looks like
Sphelodon phoxopteridis which is pictured on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “hosts include various leafrollers (Tortricidae).” 

Letter 43 – Ichneumon

 

bright red legs, bright blue body….what is it?
Hello Mr Bugman Sir,
I know you are busy what with this being summer but curiousity about this guy (girl?) is just too much to take!!! Seriously I am attempting to ID it myself and instead have made myself aware of way too many spooky creatures out there! Please pretty please look at my picture! Ok enough begging. Although his coloring is a bit drab now, when alive his legs were bright crimson and the body parts were a shimmery bright blue. He has two long curling (Suess-like) antennae and two stingers? trailing from the back end. These started flying during May sometime into our house in Victoria, B.C. ‘Course I am hoping that they are termites or carpenter ants – they don’t fit the description from what I can determine. Please tell me they are something innocuous and just plain pretty, made by Mother Nature.
Thanks, in advance, for your consideration.
Ann-Marie

Hi Ann-Marie,
We turned to Eric Eaton for more information on your species of Ichneumon. He wrote back telling us that except for Meharhyssa and Arotes it is nearly impossible to identify the genus and species of Ichneumons from photos. These are beneficial relatives of wasps that lay eggs and parasitize many types of destructive insects including caterpillars and borers.

Letter 44 – Ichneumon

 

weird flying orange antennae big bug in Canada
Hi. Awesome website!
I checked through and can’t find this weird flying bug with a black body (that it holds flipped up, over its head – although the 2nd pic I did get in normal position), and orange antennae. I’m always photographing butterflies and bugs and love their beauty, however I have to admit this ‘thing’ scared me! It’s about 2-3 inches long, and I had never before seen it in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Many thanks
Fran

Hi Fran,
We thought this was a male Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa, but we were wrong. See Below.

Many thanks. If it’s any help: when my sister and I first spotted it: it looked like it had just wings and antennae, like it was trying to stuff its body into the crack in the tree. (weird). Then it had it flipped over its back most of the time, and only for one ‘wiggle’ did it appear normal, then back to this position. Looking forward to your reply. Best regards,
Fran.

Correction: (07/31/2007)
Eric Eaton set us straight. Here is what he wrote: “Hi, Daniel: That is an ichneumon wasp, but NOT a Megarhyssa. We have images over at Bugguide identified as Gnamptopelta obsidianator, but I don’t know any more than that. Females of that species lack the long ovipositors.
Eric”

Letter 45 – Ichneumon

 

What’s THIS bug?
Hi there,
This bug appeared on my desk tonight and we’ve never seen one like this before. What made me take notice of it most was the white midsection on the dark coloured antennae. I apologize for the quality of the photos but our digital camera won’t take good closeups. This is the best I could do. One photo was taken while the bug was sitting on a white envelope and the other two were taken with it sitting on the beige wallpaper. The bug is about an inch long if you count in the antennae. He flies from one light to another or sits on the wall next to the light. I’d appreciate knowing what it is. I looked on your website but, not knowing what type of bug to look up, I’d have to look at every listing there. Since I have dialup and not high speed, that would take forever. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. I hope this thing doesn’t bite because we’ve chosen to let him fly free. If he lands on me, I may change my mind on that though!
Cheryl Jones
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canada

Hi Cheryl,
This is an Ichneumon. Ichneumons are an important group of insects that parasitize caterpillars, wood boring insects, aphids and others. Ichneumons are related to wasps, but they do not sting. BugGuide has identified your group of Ichneumons in a very general sense according to color: Black/White w Orange legs, Dot on Back, White on Antennae. BugGuide also indicates that Ichneumonidae is: “One of the largest families of insects with over 3100 species in North America (60,000 worldwide). The majority resemble slender wasps. They differ from the wasps that sting (Scolioidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea) in that they have the antennae longer and with more segments usually 16 or more). In many ichneumons the ovipositor is quite long, often longer than the body. It is divided into 24 or 35 subfamilies depending on different authors.. Many Ichneumons are of value in the control of noxious insects. “

Letter 46 – Ichneumon

 

Pimpla Instigator?
Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 4:03 PM
We found 5 or 6 of these guys in our house over the past 24 hours. It’s a 6 legged insect with wings and a longish ‘stinger’ tail. I took a picture and found it to have very large ‘eyes’ and long antennae. We’re wondering if this bug is common (we’ve never seen it before) and if we should be worried about it with our pets? Any help would be appreciated!
Jason
Northern Ontario, Canada

Ichneumon, probably subfamily Pimplinae

Ichneumon, probably subfamily Pimplinae

Hi Jason,
While we cannot say for sure that this is Pimpla instigator, we are fairly confident that it is an Ichneumon in the Subfamily Pimplinae. BugGuide does not provide much information on this subfamily, but Ichneumons are parasitic on insects and other arthropods, and will not harm humans or their pets.

Letter 47 – Ichneumon from Australia

 

Subject: What is it?
Location: Southwest Western Australia (Leschenault Inlet)
December 24, 2014 8:12 pm
Hi! I’m trying to determine what type of insect this is. At first glance it looks like a giant mosquito, but then I started researching and thought it could be a crane fly, or maybe a lacewing? No idea, but it’s driving me crazy not knowing!
Signature: Cath

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Cath,
Mistaking this Ichneumon for a Crane Fly is understandable.  Ichneumons are parasitic wasp that comprise one of the largest families of creatures on our planet.  Ichneumons are considered to be harmless to humans, though some species are capable of stinging.

 

Letter 48 – Ichneumon, we believe

 

Subject: Unidentified wasp?
Location: Fannie, Ark.
August 25, 2014 8:57 am
Found and photographed a couple of days ago in Montgomery County, Arkansas. I think its a wasp but would like to know what kind. Thank you.
Signature: Bill Burton

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Bill,
We believe this is a Parasitic Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, a large and diverse family.  According to BugGuide:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  It looks very similar to this image of
Saranaca elegans posted to BugGuide.  According to BugGuide, the larval food is the caterpillar of “Darapsa myron”, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx, and according to the Sphingidae of the Americas, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx is found in Arkansas.  We may be way off base with the species, but we are confident that we have at least gotten the family identification correct.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

 

Letter 49 – Ichneumon from British Columbia

 

Subject: Kids study
Location: Lower Mainland Bc Canada
November 10, 2016 4:36 pm
Hello;
I have a son very interested in learning about animals and bugs and insects. he is always on the look out in my backyard for something new to discover. Today he found a bug I had never seen and we wondered if you could help and identify it for us. I have attached a picture. M
Signature: Tamara

Ichneumon: Possibly Pimpla sanguinipes

Ichneumon: Possibly Pimpla sanguinipes

Dear Tamara,
This is a female Ichneumon Wasp, a parasitoid that preys upon insects and other arthropods and is generally very prey specific.  This is a large family with over 5000 identified species in North America and an additional estimated 3000 species according to BugGuide.  Based on this BugGuide image, also from British Columbia, we suspect it might be
Pimpla sanguinipes.

Letter 50 – Ichneumon, but what species

 

Spider wasp? Fly? What is this? I’m stumped
Location:  Seminole, Oklahoma
August 5, 2010 2:52 pm
I spent about an hour looking through photos of flies and wasps, sawflies and I never found anything that matched this little guy. It was probably about 3/4” long and moved very much like a spider wasp, but did pause for my picture, presumably to figure out what the heck my intentions were. Thanks again!
Amy Goodman

Ichneumon

Hi Amy,
This is a Parasitic Hymenopteran in the superfamily Ichneumonoidea which contains the Ichneumons and Braconids.  As you can see from BugGuide, this is an extensive subfamily.  We browsed the possibilities and we found a very close match with the genus Lanugo on BugGuide.  It does not seem exact, but it is quite close.

Letter 51 – Ichneumon, but which species??? Dolichomitus irritator!!!

 

Subject: it looks like a damselfly
Location: Ottawa Ontario
June 24, 2012 10:54 pm
Ive never seen a damselfly like this before especially with the three prongs from the end. The wings and head really resemble the typical damselfly here in Canada. However from looking through images on this site I dont see it. Can you help me figure out what it is
Signature: Curious

Ichneumon

Dear Curious,
The quality of your photo is poor and the dead creature is missing a head, but we believe this is an Ichneumon, a species of parasitic wasp.  It most resembles the genus
Megarhyssa, however, the coloration is not typical of the species we are familiar with in that genus.  See this photo from BugGuide for a nice view of the three pronged ovipositor of Megarhyssa nortoni.  We hope to get a second opinion from Eric Eaton.  Can you provide any size information?

Eric Eaton provides an identification!!!
Daniel:
Assuming this is from the U.S. or Canada, I would bet on Dolichomitus irritator:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/338540
They get pretty large in their own right.
Eric

Thanks Eric,
That species name “
irritator” is very suggestive.

Letter 52 – Ichneumon, but which species?

 

Subject:  Please tell me what this is
Geographic location of the bug:  NJ
Date: 09/20/2017
Time: 10:01 PM EDT
Hi,
Can you please tell me what this is, and please tell me it isn’t dangerous?
How you want your letter signed:  J25

Ichneumon, we believe

Dear J25,
We believe this is an Ichneumon, but we would not eliminate the possibility that it might be the other family within Ichneumonoidea, Braconidae.  In a quick and unsuccessful attempt to identify it, we searched BugGuide, but a more thorough search will take much more time than we have right now.  We suspect this Ichneumon is the victim of Unnecessary Carnage.

Thanks! So from what I read about the two possibilities below – not dangerous to humans….
That’s what I really needed to know.
I appreciate your help greatly!
Joseph

Letter 53 – Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject: Unknown (to me) bug
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
June 12, 2014 4:21 pm
Hey there,
I was walking in the woods near my house and I came across this bug. I’ve never seen a bug like this before, and I’m curious to find out what it is. A friend of mine suggested that it was a mahogany wasp, but I don’t think this is quite right because the wings are clear, it’s more of a bright red, and the bottom didn’t seem to have a stinger. I hope you’ll be able to tell me what it is, thanks!
Signature: Louisa

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Louisa,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a member of one of the largest insect families on the planet.  Ichneumons are parasitic on other insects and arthropods.

Letter 54 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: we didnt know what this was?
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire, England
November 12, 2013 10:49 am
we found it on a window in college on the 12 of November 2013 and we have no idea what this is,people were afraid because of the sting on it!! but i managed to get a close photo of it please get back soon
Signature: however you prefer

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

This is some species of Parasitic Hymenopteran, most likely an Ichneumon.

Letter 55 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: Found this at home,
Location: Pakefield,England.
April 5, 2014 12:05 am
I saw this little “bug” at home inside our toilet area….it wasn’t till I zoomed in I saw the yellow dots everywhere…
Signature: Doesn’t matter

Ichneumon stramentor

Ichneumon stramentor

Dear Doesn’t matter,
We quickly identified your parasitic Ichneumon Wasp as
Ichneumon stramentor thanks to a photo posted on Parasitica (scroll down), and we confirmed that identification on Paws for Wildlife where we learned:  “Larva – parasitise the Large Yellow Underwing and Setaceous Hebrew Character caterpillars (possibly others).”

Letter 56 – Ichneumon enters home and startles man!!!

 

Subject: Huge Bug on Mirror
Location: Vancouver, BC.
July 1, 2014 5:06 pm
Hi Bugman,
I’m trying to figure out what this is- it was in my friend’s house today and its HUGE! It looks like its some sort of Mantis or something- Any ideas?
Signature: Jonathan

Ichneumon startles residents

Ichneumon startles residents

Hi Jonathan,
The look on your face is quite startled.  This is some species of Ichneumon, a family of Parasitoid Wasps that are not aggressive, though we have occasionally gotten reports from folks who have been stung.  Female Ichneumons lay eggs on or near specific insect or arthropod hosts and the larval Ichneumon feeds on the host insect, eventually killing it.  We are unable to determine the species of Ichneumon that entered your friend’s home.  According to BugGuide, the family Ichneumonidae:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).”

Letter 57 – Ichneumon from Australia

 

Subject: Unknown flying insect Australia
Location: Melbourne, Australia
February 13, 2013 6:31 pm
Hi,
I don’t want to overload you guys with questions, so I hope this second bug in as many days isn’t too much. I used to see these things all over the place in summer, but now they’ve become reasonably rare around here. I tried searching for it on the ’Down Under’ tag, but it doesn’t seem to exist in the first 60 pages.
The females of this insect seem to have massive ovipositors, but that’s about all I know of them, besides a happy affinity to spend all day flying hopelessly against glass windows.
Even if you don’t get around to looking at this, thanks very much for the site — you’ve done a great job with it.
Signature: Thanks, Tasha

Ichneumon

Hi Tasha,
This appears to us to be an Ichneumon, a type of Parasitic Wasp.  Sorry, no time right not for additional research.

Thank you for your fast response. If you do have time at a later point, I would be very interested to know what it’s parasitic to. Otherwise, thank you very much for your time, and I hope things go well for you!
Yours,
Tasha

Hi again Tasha,
Without knowing the species of Ichneumon, it would be impossible to determine the host.  According to the North American website BugGuide, they feed upon:  “a great variety of hosts (mostly immature stages) is used, though most species attack only a few host types; some infest spiders and other non-insect arthropods.”
  Some common host insects include caterpillars, beetles and the larvae of wood boring wasps.

Thank you again,
Now that I know what to look for, I think it’s the Orange Caterpillar Parasite — Netelia Producta. It seems most prevalent in Queensland (which is probably why trawling for ‘orange wasp Victoria’ didn’t help), but it appears it can come this far south, after I found record of a few sightings of it in Melbourne.
Have a wonderful time, and keep up the great work on the site,
Tasha.

Letter 58 – Ichneumon from Austria

 

Subject: Beautiful nightly visitor
Location: Austria
May 23, 2012 5:12 pm
Dear Bugman,
I’ve just been visited by one of the most beautiful insects I have ever seen and wanted to ask you if you could identify my nightly guest?
One strange thing I noticed is it had what seemed like three extra eyes on the top of its head right between the two big eyes, on the base of its antennas.
A pretty exciting sight, I don’t see such exotic looking insects around here very often.
Greetings from Austria,
Michael
Signature: Michael

Ichneumon

Hi Michael,
We really enjoy getting requests from people who think insects are beautiful that other folks might find repulsive.  This Ichneumon is a parasitic wasp that preys upon other insects and arthropods.  The female lays her eggs within the host by using an ovipositor.  Some wasps have evolved so that the ovipositor has adapted into a stinger and many Ichneumons have very long ovipositors.  A group of North American Ichneumons in the genus
Megarhyssa can have ovipositors as long as five inches in length and they are known as Stump Stabbers since the female uses her ovipositor to lay her eggs in wood that is infested with wood boring insects.

Letter 59 – Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject: What is this pretty bug?
Location: Toronto, Ontario
July 9, 2017 4:43 pm
I found this pretty bug flying around my bush and I don’t recall ever seeing one before. It’s purplish wings were really pretty in the sunlight. Could you please identify it for me?
Signature: Caitlin

Ichneumon: Trogus pennator

Dear Caitlin,
The long antennae on this magnificent wasp caused us to correctly speculate it must be an Ichneumon, and we quickly identified it on BugGuide as
Trogus pennator.  According to BugGuide:  “Trogus pennator is a parasitoid of swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae), ovipositing in the caterpillars.  The solitary larva develops inside the caterpillar, allowing it to pupate before killing it. After metamorphosing, the adult wasp chews an irregular hole in the chrysalis to escape.”

Ichneumon: Trogus pennator

Letter 60 – Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject:  Flying beetle????
Geographic location of the bug:  Cochrane, Alberta Canada
Date: 10/24/2019
Time: 03:56 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Saw this walking along our window (inside)
How you want your letter signed:  Tracey

Ichneumon

Dear Tracey,
Those antennae lead us to believe that this is some species of Ichneumon, a family of parasitoid Wasps whose larvae feed on the internal organs of host-specific Arachnids and immature insects including Caterpillars, Beetle grubs and larvae of wood boring Wasps.  This is an enormous family with according to BugGuide:  “~5,000 described spp. in almost 500 genera in the Nearctic Region, possibly 3,000 more undescribed.”  We doubt it is your species because it is not reported as far north or west, but your individual does resemble 
Limonethe maurator which is pictured on BugGuide.

Letter 61 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: Bugs
Location: Poole England
September 18, 2012 11:41 am
This was found in back garden yesterday – what is it please?
Signature: JPB

Ichneumon

Dear JPB,
This is an Ichneumon Wasp, but our initial search did not turn up any matching images online.  Ichneumons are a large family of wasps that are parasitic on other arthropods, and each species of Ichneumon is generally very specific about its prey.  Ichneumons can be very difficult to identify to the species level.  Though this is not your species, you might enjoy reading this account on the Sutton Park Natural History website.

Letter 62 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: Orange big with glass like wings??
Location: England
September 8, 2015 4:58 am
Hiya,
I found this bug in my bathroom today and thought it was just so pretty! I wish i just knew what it was… any ideas?
Signature: From tegan xx

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear tegan xx,
This is an Ichneumon, a type of parasitic wasp.  Many species are attracted to lights, which is why we suspect it was found in your bathroom.  Your individual reminds us of
Ophion obscuratus which is pictured on iSpot.

Letter 63 – Ichneumon from New Zealand

 


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.

Letter 64 – Ichneumon from Portugal

 

Subject:  What´s that bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Portugal
Date: 12/16/2017
Time: 10:31 AM EDT
Can you please help on identify this bug ?
How you want your letter signed:  Pedro Santos

Ichneumon

Dear Pedro,
This is a parasitoid Ichneumon and it looks similar to
Ophion luteus which is pictured on Wildscreen Arkive.  We are postdating your submission to go live to our site later in the month while we are away from the office for the holidays.

Letter 65 – Ichneumon from Scotland

 

wasp photo
Hi there
I have been through your wood wasp shots but couldn’t find anything like this one. My parents found it beside their pile of firewood logs. It is about an inch long (2.5cm) and the ovipositor is a bit longer than the body. We have never seen anything like it. Some of the logs had 4mm bore holes in them.
Regards
Peter
Falkirk
Scotland

Hi Peter,
Ichneumons are wasp relatives, but have their own page on our site. This looks very similar to our American Megarhyssa species, but we cannot conclusively say that is the correct genus without more research. Female oviposits deep in rotting wood where larvae feed on wood boring insects.

Letter 66 – Ichneumon from Scotland

 

Subject: The Bingo Bug
Location: Scotland
October 10, 2012 6:41 pm
I found this wee creature hanging on the wall in my workplace, a bingo club. I’ve never seen anything like it at work, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it at all! Can you help me and my colleagues find out what it is?
Many thanks,
Becky
Signature: Any way you’d like.

Ichneumon

Dear Any way you’d like,
This is an Ichneumon parasitoid wasp.
  According to the Cornell University Department of Entomology Biological Control website:  “Insect parasitoids have an immature life stage that develops on or within a single insect host, ultimately killing the host, hence the value of parasitoids as natural enemies. Adult parasitoids are free-living and may be predaceous. Parasitoids are often called parasites, but the term parasitoid is more technically correct. Most beneficial insect parasitoids are wasps or flies, although some rove beetles (see Predators) and other insects may have life stages that are parasitoids.  Most insect parasitoids only attack a particular life stage of one or several related species. The immature parasitoid develops on or within a pest, feeding on body fluids and organs, eventually leaving the host to pupate or emerging as an adult. The life cycle of the pest and parasitoid can coincide, or that of the pest may be altered by the parasitoid to accommodate its development.  The life cycle and reproductive habits of beneficial parasitoids can be complex. In some species, only one parasitoid will develop in or on each pest while, in others, hundreds of young larvae may develop within the pest host. Overwintering habits may also vary. Female parasitoids may also kill many pests by direct feeding on the pest eggs and immatures.”

Letter 67 – Ichneumon from UK

 

Subject:  Is this a type of Hornet?
Geographic location of the bug:  Bury lancashire
Date: 06/18/2019
Time: 12:55 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found this little hitch hiker on my car today. Im facinated to know if it is a Hornet.
How you want your letter signed:  The bug man

Ichneumon might be Amblyteles armatorius

This is not a Hornet, but it is a Parasitoid Wasp known as an Ichneumon.  There are so many species that look similar, an exact species identification might not be possible, but it does resemble Amblyteles armatorius which is pictured on UK Safari where it states:  “Ichneumon wasps are solitary insects which are closely related to bees and ants. Most ichneumons are parasitoids.  The females lay their eggs into, or onto, the young of other insects and spiders, and the young which hatch out feed on that host insect.  The host is eventually killed and consumed by the larva just before it pupates.”  There are additional images on Nature Spot.

Letter 2 – Sabre Wasp: Giant Ichneumon from UK

 

what is this?
Location:  Aberdeen, United Kingdom
September 15, 2010 8:57 am
hi there, found this bug on the ground in aberdeen, uk. found outside a university. can you help identify it?
Signature:  Lewis

Sabre Wasp

Dear Louis,
This is an Ichneumon, a Parasitic Hymenopteran that is classified with bees and wasps.  In North America, similar looking Giant Ichneumons in the genus Megarhyssa prey upon the Pigeon Horntail, a species of Wood Wasp whose larvae are found feeding on dead or dying wood.  The female Ichneumon, and your specimen is a female, can be identified by her long stingerlike ovipositor which she uses to deposit her eggs in wood that is infested with the larvae of the Pigeon Horntail.  Our hypothesis is that the UK specimen you have photographed may have a similar Wood Wasp host in Europe, but without successfully identifying the species of your Ichneumon, we cannot be certain.  We found a BBC Science and Nature page that indicates that
Rhyssa persuasoria, commonly called a Sabre Wasp, is the largest Ichneumon “fly” in Britain, and it is described as:  “Giant ichneumons have slender bodies, with a wasp waist, and long, flexible antennae. The apparently fearsome-looking sting at the end of the female wasp’s abdomen is actually an ovipositor (egg-laying instrument). This is protected within a sheath. This species has a black body with pale yellow/white markings on the abdominal segments. The legs are orange.”  Alas, there is no image, but the written description appears to fit your photograph.  Before leaving the BBC Science and Nature Page, we decided that the behavior description also needed to be included here:  “Ichneumons are parasites that lay their eggs in or on the larvae of other insects or spiders. The hosts of giant ichneumons are usually the larvae of horntails, or wood wasps (Orocerus gigas), and related species, as well as the larvae of longhorn beetles (Monochamus sutor). The female looks for hosts, which live within fallen timber. She may detect them through the smell of their droppings, which are then contaminated by fungi, or by sensing their vibrations within the wood. However she does it, the accuracy with which she locates them is remarkable. When she finds the right spot, she drives her slender ovipositor into the wood (which can be inches thick) by rotating the two halves backwards and forwards very rapidly. She lays one egg next to or on the host larvae. The whole process takes about 20-40 minutes. When the fly larvae hatches it feeds externally on the host. It overwinters and pupates in the spring before emerging from the wood. Giant ichneumons sometimes emerge in houses from furniture made from new timber. The adults are active from July-August.”  We found an image of a female depositing her eggs on the Insect Images website, and there is a strong resemblance to your specimen.  The Offwell Woodland & Wildlife Trust website has a nice photo and description.  Though the markings on your individual are not as pronounced, we are confident it is at least in the genus Rhyssa.

Letter 3 – Ichneumon species

 

Bug
Hello!
I found an insect living with me a couple of days ago in my California condo which is nestled against a small, grassy hill. At first, I avoided it – I am very afraid of insects, but I have no desire to harm them. Then I became more and more curious because I’ve never seen anything like it before. It looks like a fly’s torso put onto an orange, wasp-like body! It’s about 1 inch long. I overcame my fear enough to trap it and take a few photos for you. What is it?
Best regards,
Lyndie Chiou

Hi Lyndie,
The reason your Ichneumon looks like a wasp is because they are related, though Ichneumons do not sting. What looks like a stinger is in fact the ovipositor, the egg laying organ of the female Ichneumon. She uses the ovipositor to deposit eggs inside the bodies of her host insects, often caterpillars, and the young Ichneumon will eat the prey alive from the inside. Ichneumons are important in the biological control of insect pests, so they are beneficial.

Letter 4 – Unknown Wasp in Washington State is Ichneumon species

 

YellowJacket/Paper Wasp or something else?
Daniel,
Thanks for the Reply. We live in Mill Creek, just south of Everett, Western Washington State. We have a bunch of these (20+) flying low all around our front yard. My best guess would be a Paper Wasp or Yellow Jacket, but the coloring doesn’t match any of the pictures I found. Just wondering if we need to have someone come out and take care of them. We’ve check the closest tree and the house eves and don’t see any nests. They don’t seem to go into the back yard, or the neighbors front yard. They are not aggressive at all. They don’t seem to care if we are walking through the yard or not.. Thanks Again..
Stephen

hi Stephen,
Thanks for writing back so quickly and providing a location. That is so critical with many identifications. We can tell you that this is NOT a yellow jacket nor a paper wasp, but we are not exactly sure what it is and it will require some research. Meanwhile, we will also contact Eric Eaton for identification assistance.

Daniel:
The wasp is an ichneumon wasp, family Ichneumonidae. Pretty much impossible to give a more specific identification without having the actual specimen to look at under a microscope. As larvae, alll ichneumons are parasitic on other insects (spiders in a few cases).
Eric

Letter 5 – Ichneumon from the UK

 

Subject:  Found this critter in the kitchen today.
Geographic location of the bug:  Sheffield, UK
August 26, 2017 12:33 AM
Can you identify this bug.  Sheffield UK
How you want your letter signed:  No

Ichneumon

Dear No,
This is a parasitoid Ichneumon Wasp and there are several pictured on Nature Spot that look similar including
Buathra laborator which is described on Nature Spot as being “Quite a large blackish insect with mainly orange legs. There are other similar species and expert help is needed with identification. ”  Also similar looking is Pimpla rufipes which is described on Nature Spot as being:  “Length about 15 mm. A mainly black species, but with bright orange legs, the hind pair of legs being only slightly larger than the other pairs. The ovipositor of the female is quite thick and short and the ‘waist’ between the thorax and abdomen is also quite short” and “Mainly an autumn species.”

 

Letter 6 – Pseudoscorpion: Phoresy on an Ichneumon

 

Ichneumon Species-New Find!
Daniel,
In addition to the email i sent earlier, i hope you received it. I was out taking more pics of bugs today, in my yard in Houston, Texas and i happened to catch a strange little, very little, bug hitching a ride on an Ichneumons antennae. I thought it was just a piece of skin or something while taking pics. I didn’t notice the little bug til i got them on the computer. What is this lil bug?
Tracy Palmer

Hi Tracy,
It takes quite some time to plod through all of a given day’s emails, and many do not get read. This is a marvelous set of images. They depict a Pseudoscorpion hitching a ride, a practice known as Phoresy, on an Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa. Because so many people find Pseudoscorpions in their homes, we have devoted an entire page to them.

Letter 7 – Ichneumon from New Zealand

 

Subject: Wasp???
Location: Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand
March 23, 2014 10:11 am
Hi there. Attached is a picture of a wasp-like creature I found in my windowsill. I’ve never seen one before and a friend who lives nearby also found one in her house and has also never seen it before. We live in Whangarei, New Zealand which is in Northland (at the North of the North Island). We wanted to make sure it wasn’t a new immigrant.
Signature: Jana in New Zealand

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Jana,
This is an Ichneumon, member of a group of Parasitic Wasps that prey upon Arthropods.  Many species of Ichneumons are very host specific, often preying upon a single species of Lepidoptera, Hemiptera or even one of the Arachnids.  Identifying the exact species of Ichneumon in the large and confusing family Ichneumonidae is a daunting task, but if you want to pursue that route, the Landcare Research site for New Zealand might be a good point of departure.

Letter 8 – Ichneumon from Alaska

 

Subject: Crane Fly or Other?
Location: Wasilla Alaska
July 22, 2013 4:21 am
Hi, my son is six and at a time of q&a with me, his homeschooling mom, about everything he encounters. I never realized how little I know about the immediate world around me until recently! I’m determined to keep up and thus I have landed here on your site. I am hoping this is just a Crane Fly type, but the thorax pattern and long stinger throw that idea off a bit. Please help. Kind Regards,
Signature: Curious’s Mom

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Curious’s Mom,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a group of parasitoid wasps that prey upon other insects and arthropods.  The “stinger” is actually an ovipositor, and many Ichnuemons use the ovipositor to deposit eggs beneath the surface of stumps and logs that are infested with wood boring insects.  Those Ichneumons are commonly called Stump Stabbers.  We don’t get many submissions from Alaska, and we try to identify creatures to the species level whenever possible, but Ichneumons are a large group of insects and many species are not well described.  Your Ichneumon appears to be a very different species from this previous Ichneumon from Alaska that we posted several years ago.  Your individual does look very similar to this member of the genus Rhyssa that is posted to BugGuide.

Letter 9 – Ichneumon from Singapore

 

Subject: What’s yellow and black and has a long stinger?
Location: Singapore
April 7, 2014 10:57 pm
Hello!
I’m in Singapore and last night I looked down to find an insect crawling on my shoulder. (I was in bed, so…that was not fun.) It’s about the size of my thumb’s distal phalanx bone, and the stinger(?) looks quite long. Please help, I’m hoping it’s not a wasp!
Thanks for reading~
Signature: Jamie

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Jamie,
This is a Parasitic Wasp known as an Ichneumon, and for many years we claimed that Ichneumons did not sting.  What you have taken for a stinger is actually the ovipositor of the female Ichneumon.  We later learned that some Ichneumons are capable of stinging humans, but they are a rarity among the large number of members in the family.  According to BugGuide:  “arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  As a side note, the stinger in bees and wasps is a modified ovipositor that has adapted to multitasking:  laying eggs as well as stinging potential threats.

Dear Daniel,
Thank you for the identification, and it’s good to know it’s unlikely to have stung me since it wasn’t that big! (I let it go later as well, so now I don’t have to feel too bad about letting a potentially harmful insect go around my place.) Also, huh, I always thought the stinger for bees/wasps was specifically for stinging. The more you know…!
Thanks again so much!
Cheers,
Jamie

Hi Jamie,
We should clarify one matter regarding the stingers of Bees and Wasps.  Generally, social species have a queen and workers with the workers being sterile females.  The stingers of the sterile, social workers, including Honey Bees and Hornets, only serves as a stinger.  In those cases, the modification that has evolved is no longer capable of multitasking.

Letter 10 – Ichneumon from UK

 

Beetle? Fly? Wasp?
Location: Radcliffe, Lancashire, NW UK.
June 30, 2011 11:18 am
Hi, I have today found an insect and I have no clue what it is. Dimensions are included on one of the pictures. I have performed a search online but can find nothing like it, the closest in terms of shape would be the Snake Fly. 30/06/2011, weather slightly breezy, intermittent clouds/sun and 16 degrees celsius.
Many thanks for your help,
Chris.
Signature: CPS

Ichneumon

Hi Chris,
This is a Parasitoid Wasp known as an Ichneumon.  The closest match on the Bugs and Weeds website is identified as
Ichneumon suspiciosus agg. and this is the information that is provided:  “Like many Ichneumon species, this is a member of an aggregate group of very similar looking species (hence the ‘agg.’ suffix) that cannot be definitively identified without recourse to close microscopic scrutiny.  The yellow and black banded antennae and legs and an overall length of 15mm (excluding antennae) suggests that it might possibly be Ich. suspiciosus – or something similar!  It is an endoparasite of moth larvae. That is, the adult female ichneumon inserts an egg under the skin of a caterpillar and the resultant wasp larva will slowly develop internally within the caterpillar until the caterpillar enters pupation. The parasite will then enter its own pupation and, on completion of its metamorphosis, will be the sole adult insect to emerge.  This will take place in summer or autumn and the emergent adult will hibernate throughout the winter to fly again in spring coincident with the emegence of adult moths and the next generation of their caterpillars.”  UK Safari also has a photo.  Your individual is black and white, but it looks very similar.  We suspect it is a closely related species.  It should be noted that Ichneumons can be very difficult to accurately identify to the species level.  The ISpot website has a very close match that is not identified.

Letter 11 – Ichneumon Wasp

 

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.

Letter 12 – Ichneumon from Hungary

 

Subject: Strange bug with long sting
Location: Hungary, Fót
May 20, 2014 6:27 am
Dear Bugman!
I have found this strange bug in my friend’s house in Fót, a small town near Budapest the capital of Hungary.
Sadly he has killed it, and took it’s head off for it to not suffer.
He was scared that it might be a tropical mosquito which came with a shipment of bananas.
Could you please tell me, what kind of bug is this, and if it’s any dangerous?
Signature: Tom

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Tom,
This is a parasitic wasp, most likely an Ichneumon, and though it is quite frightening, Ichneumons are not aggressive and they do not attempt to sting humans.  What appears to be a stinger is actually an ovipositor, an organ that has evolved so that the female can deposit her eggs where they will hatch and the developing larva will have access to a food supply.  Your individual resembles the North American Stump Stabbers in the genus
Megarhyssa, and the female wasp uses her ovipositor to deposit eggs in stumps and branches that are infested with wood boring larvae of Wood Wasps known as Pigeon Horntails as the larvae of the Pigeon Horntail is the sole food of the larvae of the Stump Stabber.  Your Ichneumon looks very similar to this Perithous species that is pictured on FlickR.  Alas, the folks who post to FlickR never seem to provide a location for their images.

Letter 13 – Gasteruptiidae Wasp, not Ichneumon

 

Pelecinid?
Hi Daniel and Lisa,
When I first saw this flying critter, I thought that it was a pelecinid. After doing some research, I’m not very convinced that this is what this is. It was maybe a 1 inch to an inch and half from head to the end of its ovipositor. I’m guessing that it’s an ovipositor and not a stinger. had rescued it from my pool, and was able to get some shots of it while it dried its wings. Any info or direction you can give me in identifying this insect is very appreciated. Thanks!
Yvonne
Barrie, Ontario

Ed. Note When Yvonne first wrote to us, we misidentified her Gasteruptiidae Wasp as an Ichneumon without posting it. She has since sought the assistance of BugGuide, which we thoroughly endorse since they are a vast network of scientific information. Yvone then wrote back with BugGuide’s findings.

(07/09/2007) Ichneumon or Gasteruptiidae wasp
Hello again,
According to some other sources, the image I sent to you is not of an Ichneumon, but of a Gasteruptiidae wasp. I’m not sure if the jury is still out, but so far, that is what the consensus is. Do you still think it’s an ichneumon?
Yvonne

Hi again Yvonne,
Thank you for bringing this error to our attention. Remember, we are artists without entomological training.

Letter 14 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Large fly
Location: Southeasterd Pennsylvania
July 28, 2017 12:05 pm
This bugger showed up in our kitchen. His body was well over an inch in length. Interesting eyes. He’s now outside somewhere, having bee released, as we do to all creatures we find ion the house, except ants, mosquitoes, and pantry moths. Spiders and Scutigera usually get to stay as they’re eating something.
Signature: Huffy

Ichneumon

Dear Huffy,
This Ichneumon is not a Fly.  It is a parasitoid wasp.

Letter 15 – Ichneumon from Israel

 

Five-eyed wasp?
February 14, 2010
Hi Bug People!
On my weekend hike in the nothwestern Negev desert, Israel, I came across this wasp. I don’t even know where to start looking for information on it. It wasn’t very active and let me take close ups.
Later, when I looked at the pictures, I noticed three extra ‘eyes’ on its head. Any ideas that might point me in the right direction would be appreciated!
It was about 2.5cm (1 inch) long, dull orange, with very long antennae. I saw no ovipositor so I’m guessing it’s a male.
Thanks!
Ben
Northwest Negev, Israel

Ichneumon

Hi again Ben,
WE are relatively certain this is an Ichneumon, a family of parasitory wasps that is nearly impossible to identify to the species or even genus level without inspection of the actual specimen by an expert. Many wasps have three simple ocelli in addition to two compound eyes.

Ichneumon

Letter 16 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: What is this?
Location: Orange, nsw, Australia
February 20, 2014 4:25 am
Hi bug man, this flew into our house, i have never seen anything like it, could you please tell me what it is.
Signature: Tara

Crane Fly

Ichneumon

Hi Tara,
We believe this is a Crane Fly in the family Tipulidae.  There are some images on the Brisbane Insect site that look similar.

Correction
Subject: “Tipulidae” from Australia
February 22, 2014 11:52 am
Hi,
on Feb. Feb.20, 2014 “Tara” posted an isect from New South Wales, Australia.  You answered that this might be a crane fly / Tipulidae, but if you look at the wing venation it is evident that this insect does not belong to the Diptera at all, it’s Hymenoptera. It’ another parasitic Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae or Braconidae. You may compare the wing venation of a Tipulidae here: http://www.metafysica.nl/nature/insect/hennig1954_7.jpg
Kind regards Erwin
Signature: Erwin Beyer

Thanks Erwin.  Because of an earlier comment, we have already addressed this error, and we will add your comment to the posting.

Letter 17 – Unidentified Ichneumon from Pacific Northwest

 

Subject: Ichneumon in Pacific Northwest
Location: Lacey, Washington (Southwestern Washington )
June 30, 2014 6:33 pm
Hello,
I used whatsthatbug.com to identify some new visitors to my front yard. After finding in your 2008 archives what appears to be the same wasp as I have, I would like to share some photos with you to share if you wish.
Signature: Lisa

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Dear Lisa,
Thank you for sending additional images of this still unidentified Ichneumon from the Pacific Northwest.

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Letter 18 – Black Swallowtail Caterpillar Metamorphoses into Chrysalis: Ichneumon Emerges!!!

 

this was supposed to be a black swallowtail butterfly
Location:  southwest ohio
August 11, 2010 4:19 pm
i found a black swallowtail caterpillar,

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar: Beginning Metamorphosis

(found that on your site) in my front yard. a few days later it put itself in a cacoon or chrysalis. yesterday i noticed something flying in the container but it was way to small to be my butterfly. WHAT IS THIS??????????
BIBEF

Black Swallowtail Chrysalis

Dear BIBEF,
By all outward appearances, your Black Swallowtail had begun its metamorphosis into a chrysalis and things should have culminated in the emergence of a butterfly, but while it was still a caterpillar, your individual was parasitized by a type of wasp known as an Ichneumon.  We quickly identified the adult Ichneumon that you photographed as
Trogus pennator, which BugGuide indicates “is a parasitoid of swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae), ovipositing in the caterpillars. The female Ichneumon lays a solitary egg inside the caterpillar using her stingerlike ovipositor.  BugGuide has a nice series of images documenting this process. The Ichneumon Larva develops inside the the caterpillar, feeding upon its internal organs and allowing it to pupate into a chrysalis.  At some point hidden from view, the Ichneumon Larva undergoes its own metamorphosis into a pupa, eventually emerging as an adult wasp and chewing its way out of the chrysalis through an irregular hole.  The adult butterfly will not emerge once it has been parasitized.  BugGuide also has a photo that illustrates that action.  Back in the seventeenth century in Germany, artist and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian became one of the first people to notice and document insect metamorphosis at a time when the accepted theory was spontaneous generation.  Maria Sibylla Merian observed that caterpillars formed pupae and emerged as moths and butterflies as part of a natural process of metamorphosis, but she was puzzled that some caterpillars did not metamorphose in a typical manner, emerging instead as flies or wasps.  She documented this puzzle in her intricate drawings which were published in a two volume book known as Caterpillars, Their Wondrous Transformation and Peculiar Nourishment from Flowers or simply The Caterpillar Book.  You should be able to see the hole in the chrysalis.  As a point of clarification, butterflies do not form a cocoon as their pupae are bare.  A cocoon is usually spun of silk to cover a naked pupa.  Most moths form a cocoon to protect the pupa.

Ichneumon: Trogus pennator

Letter 19 – Cocoon of an Ichneumon

 

Beautiful egg or chrysalis
Location:  Cherokee County, NC
August 23, 2010 5:28 pm
I’ve seen these things every now and then, but I’ve never been able to find an image(or identification for that matter) of them online.
The ”capsule” was hanging from a thread about an inch long that was fastened to the underside of a privet leaf. It reminds me of a lacewing’s egg, but I’ve never seen one this color, and image searches proved to be useless as well. I figure that it could possibly be some sort of chrysalis, but it’s rather small and seems to be fairly smooth.
Any ID or some pointers leading to an ID is greatly appreciated. I love checking in on the site every day or two to see what’s new.
Jacob

Ichneumon Cocoon

Hi Jacob,
We opened your photo and letter the other day, and we were pressed for time and we didn’t know where to begin with your identification.  Today, we were trying to identify an Ichneumon image that was sent to us and we stumbled across this posting on BugGuide that is identified as the Cocoon of an Ichneumon in the subfamily Campopleginae.  Bingo, that was your cocoon.  Please excuse the late response.  We identified this mystery quite by accident and then we had to go through old mail to locate your letter.  Luckily the subject line was memorable.  Here is the comment Charley Elseman posted to BugGuide:  “One of many subfamilies of ichneumonids. Most other ichneumonids form cocoons within their hosts, or at least within their hosts’ cocoons, and as far as I know none have fancy patterns like this. I think that many different campoplegines make cocoons with a pattern reminiscent of this one, but only a few suspend them from a string like this. Bob Carlson may be able to say something more specific about it.
”  Bob Patterson wrote this comment:  “See the page on Parasites, Predators and Parasitoids at MPG. There is no doubt equivalent and even better material to be found here at BugGuide.

Thanks for the identification! That link to BugGuide helped ID some of the little wasps that have been sneaking around the house lately on top of helping to ID the cocoon.


Letter 20 – Future Ichneumons will benefit

 

GREAT SITE
Dear Bugman,
Thanks for the great site. I have a cabin in Northern Michigan, and over the past couple of years, I have noticed a very large strange looking insects which I have not been able to identify in any bug book that I have looked at…but I did find it on your site, along with a lot of very informative information. The insects were giant ichneumon. Unfortunate to say though, there were several on the one tree, and with having small kids around, a bug that size that looked like a wasp, was met with a dose of wasp spray. I wish that I had read your articles earlier, and finding out that they are harmless, they could have provided some interesting viewing, expecially after knowing that they did not sting. Thanks for the great site, keep it up and running, as it is definatly one of the most informative bug sites that I have found. Sam

Thanks for your kind letter Sam. Future Ichneumons thank you as well.

Letter 21 – Ichneumon

 

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.

Letter 22 – Ichneumon

 

Redish-brown flying insect, looks somewhat like a wasp, but with no stiner or visible mandibles
Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 4:43 AM
We live in the Puget Sound area in Washington state on Whidbey Island. It rains often, is overcast when it isn’t raining, and it is to be expected that there’ll be bugs trying to enter the home to escape the water.
We found this bug in our hallway after walking the dog around 4 in the morning. It’s been unusually cold for this time of year, and has been raining for the past 3 days.
We captured the bug between a cup and saucer and took this photo, afterwards we released it into the bushes outside the apartment.
Apartment Dweller
Whidbey Island, Puget Sound Area of Washington State

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Apartment Dweller,
This is an Ichneumon.  Ichneumons are a group of parasitic wasps that prey upon different insects.  This may be a male Ichneumon which would explain the lack of a stinger.  Many female Ichneumons, especially in the genus Megarhyssa,  have highly developed ovipositors, some up to five inches long.  These organs are needed to locate wood burrowing larvae that serve as food for the young.  Other Ichneumons have much smaller ovipositors.  This is a large confusing group of insects, and we rarely attempt to make specific species or genus identification attempts.

Letter 23 – Ichneumon

 

Unknown bug pictures included
Sat, Mar 28, 2009 at 6:26 AM
We are finding these bugs at our house. A few weeks ago we found 2 very small bugs (babies) that flew into the house. They appeared to be attreacted to lampshades or light fixtures. We are now seeing larger ones outside hanging out on the outside of our sliding glass door and windows. This particular bug is 3/4 of an inch from tip of ‘tail’ to tip of anntenae. They look like ants with wings, but with long anttenae and a possible stinger from the back portion. It is straight and does not ever appear curved or fluid in movement. We are not seeing a tremendous amount, and only one at a time seems to be around.
Vickie
Maryland

Ichneumon:  genus Pimpla???

Ichneumon: genus Pimpla???

Hi Vickie,
This is an Ichneumon, a family of parasitic wasps that prey on a variety of host insects and arthropods.  Ichneumons will not harm you nor your home, and they are important biological controls for keeping insect populations in check.  We believe your example may be in the genus Pimpla as evidenced by images posted to BugGuide.

Letter 24 – Ichneumon

 

Ichneumon wasp
October 5, 2009
Dear Bugman, I am resubmitting this tiny wasp from july 30, 2009. After sending it to Bugguide, it was identified on Oct. 4, as Messatoporus rufiventris. I thought it ironic, that she should stand on the ISBN of an insect identification book. I have an old camera with no macro. So the photos aren’t the best. Thanks for looking.
Terry
Mound, MN

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Terry,
Thanks so much for resubmitting your images of an Ichneumon after it has been properly identified on BugGuide.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Letter 25 – Ichneumon

 

Unknown possible bee?
May 28, 2010
Hi bugman,
I found this bug in my kitchen on a wooded mountain in northern Maryland a few evenings ago. It has transparent folded wings that aren’t visible in the picture. It’s between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch long. Its patterns are very beautiful and have great contrast, and it has a small black eye surrounded by white on each side of its head as well as black and white stripes on a sort of yellowish body. I’ve never seen this bug before that I remember. I’m really not sure what it is. I’d appreciate any info. you could offer.
Thanks so much!
Steiv
Thurmont, MD

Ichneumon

Hi Steiv,
This is an Ichneumon Wasp, and we believe we have identified it as Messatoporus discoidalis on BugGuide, though Ichneumons are notoriously difficult to identify.  Ichneumons are parasitoid wasps, and according to BugGuide, depending upon the species, their prey includes:  “a great variety of hosts (mostly immature stages) is used, though most species attack only a few host types; some infest spiders and other non-insect arthropods.
”  If our identification is correct, your Ichneumon is in the tribe Cryptini, and according to BugGuide:  “Cryptini search for hosts primarily among foliage (rather than in the soil or ground litter) and have larger average size.

Letter 26 – Ichneumon

 

Crazy looking flying ant-like creature
Location: Victoria, B.C.
June 23, 2011 11:02 pm
Found this in the mid-spring. It was just sitting on these blossoms for hours. I saw another one of them but way smaller. So I thought perhaps this is a queen or something. But if you can see, it has a very long needle thing out the back end of it. It looks like a flying ant but very unique qualities. I really want to know what this is! Thank you in advance.
Signature: Well Done!

Ichneumon

Dear Well Done!,
This is some species of Icheumon, though we are uncertain of he species.  Ichneumons are parasitic relatives of wasps and bees.  The long stinger is an ovipositor that is an organ the female uses to lay eggs.  Ichneumons are parasitic on a variety of insects.

Letter 27 – Ichneumon

 

Bug on my window
Location: Chicago, IL (downtown)
April 8, 2012 6:59 pm
Hello Bugman,
I live on the 19th floor of my apartment building in downtown Chicago. I saw this bug on my window and decided it was best not to open the window given that I have no screens. Is this thing venomous? Do you know what it is?
Signature: Catharine

Ichneumon

Dear Catharine,
This is a species of parasitic Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, a large family whose members are known as Ichnuemons or Ichneumon Wasps.  The female is identified by her long ovipositor, an organ that has been adapted into a stinger in many species of bees and wasps, though most species of Ichneumons are not capable of stinging humans.  The ovipositor in Ichneumons is used to deposit eggs in or near the bodies of the host prey for the larva, and in the case of the Stump Stabbers that have an ovipositor as long as five inches, this involves drilling into dead and dying wood to locate the wood boring larvae of Wood Wasps, their sole host.  Ichneumons can be very difficult to identify to the species level, but we believe your species might be
Coleocentrus rufus which we found on BugGuide.  The genus page for Coleocentrus rufus on BugGuide states:  “hosts unknown for most NA spp. (a lepturine reported for C. flavipes),” and that may mean that the host for your species is also a wood boring beetle larva in the Longhorned Borer family Cerambycidae, subfamily Lepturinae.

Letter 28 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: With butterflies come biological controls…
Location: Winnipeg MB
June 3, 2012 10:02 am
As much as we humans love butterflies, so do other insects – as food. This ichneumon was found in my small plastic greenhouse, which works as a spectacular bug trap. I identified it in Bugguide as Trogus pennator, a swallowtail caterpillar parasite.
Signature: Bugophile in Winnipeg

Ichneumon

Dear Bugophile in Winnipeg,
We commend you on your identification.  Ichneumons are a diverse and varied group of parasitic wasps and they are not easy to identify and we are linking to the BugGuide page for the species.  We also have photos in our archive of a
Trogus pennator that emerged from a Black Swallowtail Chrysalis.  Thanks for sending us your photograph.

Letter 29 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: five eyed bug
Location: Northern Vermont
September 30, 2012 8:15 pm
I shot this photo on the siding at night by the light. It seems to have five eyes and an ant-like body. By the shadow, it looks like it has an ant-like mandible as well.
Signature: Kathryn W.

Ichneumon

Hi Kathryn,
This is an Ichneumon, a type of parasitoid wasp that belongs to a large family that is often difficult to identify to the species level.
  According to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates(3)).”

Letter 30 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Nighttime waspy thing?!
Location: Southern New Jersey just outside of Philadelphia
April 30, 2013 9:28 pm
Hello bugman! I have these annoying, non-aggressive wasp type bugs all over our property. I usually only find them at night, except for the occasional one that sneaks inside. I caught one the other day and he tried continuously to sting the paper towel, with what resembled a small stinger on his back end. They aren’t aggressive, they seem very unintelligent, and they are very thin in that there isn’t much matter to them. They are a reddish brown see-through color, with clear wings outlined in the same body color. I’ve found several different sizes of them as well. I’ve never seen or heard of a wasp being active at night, so I’m baffled as to what this could be! Southern NJ just outside Philadelphia, warm days(60-70º), cool spring nights(50-60º). Started noticing them last year around this time, lasting through the summer and warmer months of Fall. Any info you could give would be GREATLY APPRECIATED! Thank you 🙂 (this picture i s zoomed in very close)
Signature: Annoyed in NJ

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Annoyed in NJ,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a member of a very large family of parasitic wasps.  Some species are attracted to lights at night.  See BugGuide for additional information on this family including this tidbit of information:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).” 

Thank you so much for the information and quick response!  I look forward to learning more about these little buggers!

Letter 31 – Ichneumon

 

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.

Letter 32 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: What the..
Location: Vancouver, bc Canada
September 2, 2013 10:58 am
My friend is in Vancouver and she found this beauty in her house. I looked all over this site and the closest I came to it was the short tailed ichneumon.
Signature: Michelle

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Michelle,
We agree that this is an Ichneumon.

Letter 33 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: found this on m kitchen table
Location: Southern California
February 20, 2014 8:41 pm
my son was eating lunch when I noticed this little beauty on my table! It is about 1 inch long, tip of antenna to end of abdomen. Six legs, two sets of wings. So beautiful! I have never seen these in my area before!
Signature: BB

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi BB,
This parasitic Ichneumon Wasp is in the subfamily Ophioninae and you may read more about them on BugGuide.  This is one group that is frequently attracted to lights, and though we generally inform our readers that Ichneumons are harmless, we learned several years ago that this group is known to sting.  According to BugGuide:  “Females have a very compressed abdomen and a short, very sharp ovipositor. The ovipositor can penetrate the human skin; most other ichneumons can’t ‘sting’.”

Letter 34 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Unknown wasp species?
Location: Shenandoah National Park (Madison, VA)
March 16, 2014 9:50 am
Hi there – we ran across this guy in the Shenandoah National Park in the state of Virginia, very near a small mountain stream. We tried to look around on the computer, but couldn’t find a definitive answer and the curiosity is pretty intense now ;). Any folks out there know what this is?
Thanks!
Signature: Curious Virginian

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Curious Virginian,
The best we can provide for you at this time is a family name.  This is an Ichneumon Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae.  According to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  Even if we were able to locate a similar looking individual by browsing through BugGuide, it would most likely require an expert to definitively determine the correct species.

Letter 35 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Slow flying wasp/dragonfly hybrid?
Location: Sammamish, WA
July 14, 2014 4:19 pm
Dear Bugman, we found this flying beauty in iut kitchen today. He/She is approx 2.5″ long in the body with slightly smaller wingspan and a 3″ long stingy stinger looking thing hanging from its rear end. Very beautiful and flies rather slow. Body is black and white with clear wings and bright orangish yellow legs (long and lanky legs with interesting joints). We contained it long enough to take a few photos and some video then let it free outside. Any guess on what it is- I’ve never seen one before?
Signature: The Joyce family

Ichneumon:  Rhyssa lineolata

Ichneumon: Rhyssa lineolata

Dear Joyce family,
This is a Parasitic Ichneumon Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, and according to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  We believe we have correctly identified your Ichneumon as
Rhyssa lineolata based on this image posted to BugGuide.

Letter 36 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: What is this???
Location: South Texas
October 22, 2014 10:42 pm
I see these bugs all over my door at night where I live. What is it?? Do they bite/sting? Help..
Signature: Hannah Gohlke

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Hannah,
This is an Ichneumon, a member of a large and diverse family of parasitic wasps.  Most Ichneumons are harmless, but some are capable of stinging, and this does appear to be on of those Ichneumons that sting.

Letter 37 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Weird Red Flying Insect
Location: Mill Creek, WA, USA
February 8, 2015 11:12 pm
Hi! I saw this bug quite a while ago on the side of my house. I just learned about your website so I thought I’d send in my pic! I hope you can help!!
Signature: What?

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear What?,
This is an Ichneumon, a parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, which according to BugGuide has:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).  Your individual looks very similar to this member of the genus
Ophion from Idaho that is pictured on BugGuide.”

Letter 38 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Random Washington bug… I guess
Location: Western Washington
March 10, 2015 9:38 pm
So sometime this last late fall/early winter was the first time I saw this bug. later it they started appearing whenever we would leave the door or a window open. My moms first reaction was to kill it so it took a while for me to even be able to catch one. when i caught the one in the photo I couldn’t get a clear photo of it. so i released it in the bathroom and took a few pictures of it then opened the window. when i looked back at the bug it was gone. i found it like a few mins later on the sink ether paralyzed or dead don’t really know which cause my mom found it before i could get another thing to hold it in and she killed it -_-
Signature: ~Devin

Ichenumon

Ichneumon

Hi Devin,
This is a parasitic wasp known as an Ichneumon.  For many years we thought that Ichneumons were incapable of stinging humans, but we later learned that one particular group of Ichneumons in the genus
Ophion can sting.  According to Nature.com:  “while Ophion is one of the few Ichneumonidæ which are known to sting, and while a small, narrow poison sac has been detected in a few species of that immense family, none has been recorded in Ophion luteus. But whereas the sting is followed in every instance by considerable inflammation and pain, such as would not be the effect of the mere stab of a needle, it seems almost certain that some irritant is injected into the wound, possibly for the purpose of paralysing the fly’s legitimate victim, as in the case of the hunting-wasps.”  According to BugGuide:  “They are often attracted to artificial lights.”  We believe your Ichneumon is in the genus Ophion.  We have tried unsuccessfully to convince folks that Crane Flies do NOT sting, and we believe they have been mistaking these Ichneumons for Crane Flies.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Letter 39 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Wasp?
Location: 70363
April 15, 2016 7:12 am
We found this bug but not familiar with it
Signature: Ryan duthu

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Ryan,
Your wasp is a parasitic Ichneumon.  According to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”

Letter 40 – Female Stump Stabber missing her ovipositor

 

Subject: Never saw this one
Location: Pennsylvania
May 31, 2016 5:10 pm
Hey bugman,
My son happened to find this interesting looking flying bug. It was buzzing along the grass. Not sure if it was injured. Any idea?
Signature: Sincerely, Mike from Philly

Ichneumon

Female Stump Stabber, missing her ovipositor

Dear Mike from Philly,
We can tell you that this is a parasitic Ichneumon Wasp, but we are having trouble conclusively identifying it to the species level, so we have contacted Eric Eaton and explained out doubts.  The yellow antennae and shape of the abdomen rule out a male
Megarhyssa atrata which is pictured on BugGuide and Beetles in the Bush, and all the examples of  Therion morio on BugGuide have black heads.  What this Ichneumon looks most like to us is a female Stump Stabber, Megarhyssa atrata, but with a missing ovipositor, a condition we could not really explain.  See this BugGuide image for comparison.  We will get back to you when we hear from Eric Eaton.

Ichneumon

Maimed Female Stump Stabber

Definitely agree with you that it closely resembles the female stump stabbed after doing a little more research on the Internet.  But why no ovipositor? Can it become disconnected when/after laying its eggs? Could a bird have eaten just that part of it? Hopefully Mr.  Eaton has an idea.
Thank you so much for responding to me.  Can’t wait to tell my son.  Keep me posted.

Eric Eaton Confirms our suspicions
Daniel:
This is a *female* M. atrata that has lost her ovipositor.  Sometimes they get “stuck” while in operation, and/or the wasp needed to flee a potential predator.  I have frequently found ovipositors lodged in logs or stumps, the wasp having been consumed by a predator while in the act of laying eggs.
Eric

Thanks for the confirmation Eric.
I have heard that sometimes the females get stuck while ovipositing and cannot withdraw, dying in the act.  Is that also true?
Daniel

Letter 41 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Unidentified wasp
Location: Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Southern Quebec
November 11, 2016 11:07 am
Hi again,
I found a wasp at the Ecomuseum, in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, southern Quebec, on the third of october. I made some researches and came up with 3 species names. Do you think you could correctly identify it based on the picture?
Thank you so much!
Signature: Camille

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Camille,
This is a parasitic Ichneumon Wasp, a member of a very large family with many similar looking individuals.  This white striped antennae pattern is common in the family, and there are many similar looking species on the Parasitica, Ichneumon wasps, Ichneumonidae site, including an image identified as
Coelichneumon sinisterBugGuide has an image identified as Coelichneumon barnstoni that also looks very similar.  Alas, we cannot be certain of its species identification.

Letter 42 – Ichneumon

 

Horntail? (Kirkland, WA)
I have two, sometimes three of these, everyday, on the south facing windows. On the inside. Have not seen these insects around the home in previous years, but two events may explain (aside from the season). The first is the neighbor’s house was destrpyed by fire, the second I have had the torch down roof replaced. Now some of these insects I see each day have an ovipositor and some like this one pictured, don’t. And then again, some have an orange banding around their bodies and not yellow … and there appears to be an armored shell. The picture was taken using a Nikon Coolpix 775. The insect is in a glass jar. Wasps or horntails?
regards
chrisE

Hi chrisE,
This appears to be a male Ichneumon. Females have the long ovipositors. Eggs are laid deep inside dead and dying trees since the larval food is wood boring insects. Ichneumons are related to wasps. Eric Eaton added the following: ” Oh, that male ichneumon could be a female. Not all female ichneumons have a long ovipositor. In fact, most don’t.”

Letter 43 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Creepy bug
Location: New Jersey Pine Barrens
July 16, 2017 4:12 pm
I found this bug in the shower stalls at my camp and it didn’t bother me, but I have not been able to identify it and would really like to know what it is. I found it in the summer in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
Signature: Cate

Ichneumon

Dear Cate,
We believe we have correctly identified your parasitoid Ichneumon as
Xorides stigmapterus thanks to this BugGuide image.  According to BugGuide of the genus:  “hosts: wood-boring beetles, especially Buprestidae and Cerambycidae.”

Letter 44 – Ichneumon

 

Subject:  Tiny and Friendly… Wasp?
Geographic location of the bug:  Greensboro, North Carolina U.S.A.
Date: 10/06/2017
Time: 01:19 PM EDT
I found this small, winged insect in my bathroom sink this morning. At first I thought he was dead, but when I put my finger in front of him he crawled onto my fingernail. I took him outside where he cleaned himself off, investigated my hand, and eventually flew away. To give you an idea of his size, that’s my pinky finger that he’s perched on. I’ve tried to identify him for the past hour with no luck. He seems to have the body shape of some of the spider wasps I’ve found on the Internet, but his size and coloring doesn’t match. Any help putting a name to my new “friend” would be wonderfully appreciated!
How you want your letter signed:  Thank you so much, Corey

Ichneumon

Dear Corey,
This is a Parasitoid Ichneumon Wasp and it looks like
Sphelodon phoxopteridis which is pictured on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “hosts include various leafrollers (Tortricidae).” 

Letter 45 – Ichneumon

 

bright red legs, bright blue body….what is it?
Hello Mr Bugman Sir,
I know you are busy what with this being summer but curiousity about this guy (girl?) is just too much to take!!! Seriously I am attempting to ID it myself and instead have made myself aware of way too many spooky creatures out there! Please pretty please look at my picture! Ok enough begging. Although his coloring is a bit drab now, when alive his legs were bright crimson and the body parts were a shimmery bright blue. He has two long curling (Suess-like) antennae and two stingers? trailing from the back end. These started flying during May sometime into our house in Victoria, B.C. ‘Course I am hoping that they are termites or carpenter ants – they don’t fit the description from what I can determine. Please tell me they are something innocuous and just plain pretty, made by Mother Nature.
Thanks, in advance, for your consideration.
Ann-Marie

Hi Ann-Marie,
We turned to Eric Eaton for more information on your species of Ichneumon. He wrote back telling us that except for Meharhyssa and Arotes it is nearly impossible to identify the genus and species of Ichneumons from photos. These are beneficial relatives of wasps that lay eggs and parasitize many types of destructive insects including caterpillars and borers.

Letter 46 – Ichneumon

 

weird flying orange antennae big bug in Canada
Hi. Awesome website!
I checked through and can’t find this weird flying bug with a black body (that it holds flipped up, over its head – although the 2nd pic I did get in normal position), and orange antennae. I’m always photographing butterflies and bugs and love their beauty, however I have to admit this ‘thing’ scared me! It’s about 2-3 inches long, and I had never before seen it in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Many thanks
Fran

Hi Fran,
We thought this was a male Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa, but we were wrong. See Below.

Many thanks. If it’s any help: when my sister and I first spotted it: it looked like it had just wings and antennae, like it was trying to stuff its body into the crack in the tree. (weird). Then it had it flipped over its back most of the time, and only for one ‘wiggle’ did it appear normal, then back to this position. Looking forward to your reply. Best regards,
Fran.

Correction: (07/31/2007)
Eric Eaton set us straight. Here is what he wrote: “Hi, Daniel: That is an ichneumon wasp, but NOT a Megarhyssa. We have images over at Bugguide identified as Gnamptopelta obsidianator, but I don’t know any more than that. Females of that species lack the long ovipositors.
Eric”

Letter 47 – Ichneumon

 

What’s THIS bug?
Hi there,
This bug appeared on my desk tonight and we’ve never seen one like this before. What made me take notice of it most was the white midsection on the dark coloured antennae. I apologize for the quality of the photos but our digital camera won’t take good closeups. This is the best I could do. One photo was taken while the bug was sitting on a white envelope and the other two were taken with it sitting on the beige wallpaper. The bug is about an inch long if you count in the antennae. He flies from one light to another or sits on the wall next to the light. I’d appreciate knowing what it is. I looked on your website but, not knowing what type of bug to look up, I’d have to look at every listing there. Since I have dialup and not high speed, that would take forever. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. I hope this thing doesn’t bite because we’ve chosen to let him fly free. If he lands on me, I may change my mind on that though!
Cheryl Jones
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canada

Hi Cheryl,
This is an Ichneumon. Ichneumons are an important group of insects that parasitize caterpillars, wood boring insects, aphids and others. Ichneumons are related to wasps, but they do not sting. BugGuide has identified your group of Ichneumons in a very general sense according to color: Black/White w Orange legs, Dot on Back, White on Antennae. BugGuide also indicates that Ichneumonidae is: “One of the largest families of insects with over 3100 species in North America (60,000 worldwide). The majority resemble slender wasps. They differ from the wasps that sting (Scolioidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea) in that they have the antennae longer and with more segments usually 16 or more). In many ichneumons the ovipositor is quite long, often longer than the body. It is divided into 24 or 35 subfamilies depending on different authors.. Many Ichneumons are of value in the control of noxious insects. “

Letter 48 – Ichneumon

 

Pimpla Instigator?
Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 4:03 PM
We found 5 or 6 of these guys in our house over the past 24 hours. It’s a 6 legged insect with wings and a longish ‘stinger’ tail. I took a picture and found it to have very large ‘eyes’ and long antennae. We’re wondering if this bug is common (we’ve never seen it before) and if we should be worried about it with our pets? Any help would be appreciated!
Jason
Northern Ontario, Canada

Ichneumon, probably subfamily Pimplinae

Ichneumon, probably subfamily Pimplinae

Hi Jason,
While we cannot say for sure that this is Pimpla instigator, we are fairly confident that it is an Ichneumon in the Subfamily Pimplinae. BugGuide does not provide much information on this subfamily, but Ichneumons are parasitic on insects and other arthropods, and will not harm humans or their pets.

Letter 49 – Ichneumon from Australia

 

Subject: What is it?
Location: Southwest Western Australia (Leschenault Inlet)
December 24, 2014 8:12 pm
Hi! I’m trying to determine what type of insect this is. At first glance it looks like a giant mosquito, but then I started researching and thought it could be a crane fly, or maybe a lacewing? No idea, but it’s driving me crazy not knowing!
Signature: Cath

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Cath,
Mistaking this Ichneumon for a Crane Fly is understandable.  Ichneumons are parasitic wasp that comprise one of the largest families of creatures on our planet.  Ichneumons are considered to be harmless to humans, though some species are capable of stinging.

 

Letter 50 – Ichneumon, we believe

 

Subject: Unidentified wasp?
Location: Fannie, Ark.
August 25, 2014 8:57 am
Found and photographed a couple of days ago in Montgomery County, Arkansas. I think its a wasp but would like to know what kind. Thank you.
Signature: Bill Burton

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Bill,
We believe this is a Parasitic Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, a large and diverse family.  According to BugGuide:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  It looks very similar to this image of
Saranaca elegans posted to BugGuide.  According to BugGuide, the larval food is the caterpillar of “Darapsa myron”, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx, and according to the Sphingidae of the Americas, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx is found in Arkansas.  We may be way off base with the species, but we are confident that we have at least gotten the family identification correct.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

 

Letter 51 – Ichneumon from British Columbia

 

Subject: Kids study
Location: Lower Mainland Bc Canada
November 10, 2016 4:36 pm
Hello;
I have a son very interested in learning about animals and bugs and insects. he is always on the look out in my backyard for something new to discover. Today he found a bug I had never seen and we wondered if you could help and identify it for us. I have attached a picture. M
Signature: Tamara

Ichneumon:  Possibly Pimpla sanguinipes

Ichneumon: Possibly Pimpla sanguinipes

Dear Tamara,
This is a female Ichneumon Wasp, a parasitoid that preys upon insects and other arthropods and is generally very prey specific.  This is a large family with over 5000 identified species in North America and an additional estimated 3000 species according to BugGuide.  Based on this BugGuide image, also from British Columbia, we suspect it might be
Pimpla sanguinipes.

Letter 52 – Ichneumon, but what species

 

Spider wasp? Fly? What is this? I’m stumped
Location:  Seminole, Oklahoma
August 5, 2010 2:52 pm
I spent about an hour looking through photos of flies and wasps, sawflies and I never found anything that matched this little guy. It was probably about 3/4” long and moved very much like a spider wasp, but did pause for my picture, presumably to figure out what the heck my intentions were. Thanks again!
Amy Goodman

Ichneumon

Hi Amy,
This is a Parasitic Hymenopteran in the superfamily Ichneumonoidea which contains the Ichneumons and Braconids.  As you can see from BugGuide, this is an extensive subfamily.  We browsed the possibilities and we found a very close match with the genus Lanugo on BugGuide.  It does not seem exact, but it is quite close.

Ichneumon

Letter 53 – Ichneumon, but which species??? Dolichomitus irritator!!!

 

Subject: it looks like a damselfly
Location: Ottawa Ontario
June 24, 2012 10:54 pm
Ive never seen a damselfly like this before especially with the three prongs from the end. The wings and head really resemble the typical damselfly here in Canada. However from looking through images on this site I dont see it. Can you help me figure out what it is
Signature: Curious

Ichneumon

Dear Curious,
The quality of your photo is poor and the dead creature is missing a head, but we believe this is an Ichneumon, a species of parasitic wasp.  It most resembles the genus
Megarhyssa, however, the coloration is not typical of the species we are familiar with in that genus.  See this photo from BugGuide for a nice view of the three pronged ovipositor of Megarhyssa nortoni.  We hope to get a second opinion from Eric Eaton.  Can you provide any size information?

Eric Eaton provides an identification!!!
Daniel:
Assuming this is from the U.S. or Canada, I would bet on Dolichomitus irritator:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/338540
They get pretty large in their own right.
Eric

Thanks Eric,
That species name “
irritator” is very suggestive.

Letter 54 – Ichneumon, but which species?

 

Subject:  Please tell me what this is
Geographic location of the bug:  NJ
Date: 09/20/2017
Time: 10:01 PM EDT
Hi,
Can you please tell me what this is, and please tell me it isn’t dangerous?
How you want your letter signed:  J25

Ichneumon, we believe

Dear J25,
We believe this is an Ichneumon, but we would not eliminate the possibility that it might be the other family within Ichneumonoidea, Braconidae.  In a quick and unsuccessful attempt to identify it, we searched BugGuide, but a more thorough search will take much more time than we have right now.  We suspect this Ichneumon is the victim of Unnecessary Carnage.

Thanks! So from what I read about the two possibilities below – not dangerous to humans….
That’s what I really needed to know.
I appreciate your help greatly!
Joseph

Letter 55 – Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject: Unknown (to me) bug
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
June 12, 2014 4:21 pm
Hey there,
I was walking in the woods near my house and I came across this bug. I’ve never seen a bug like this before, and I’m curious to find out what it is. A friend of mine suggested that it was a mahogany wasp, but I don’t think this is quite right because the wings are clear, it’s more of a bright red, and the bottom didn’t seem to have a stinger. I hope you’ll be able to tell me what it is, thanks!
Signature: Louisa

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Louisa,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a member of one of the largest insect families on the planet.  Ichneumons are parasitic on other insects and arthropods.

Letter 56 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: we didnt know what this was?
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire, England
November 12, 2013 10:49 am
we found it on a window in college on the 12 of November 2013 and we have no idea what this is,people were afraid because of the sting on it!! but i managed to get a close photo of it please get back soon
Signature: however you prefer

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

This is some species of Parasitic Hymenopteran, most likely an Ichneumon.

Letter 57 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: Found this at home,
Location: Pakefield,England.
April 5, 2014 12:05 am
I saw this little “bug” at home inside our toilet area….it wasn’t till I zoomed in I saw the yellow dots everywhere…
Signature: Doesn’t matter

Ichneumon stramentor

Ichneumon stramentor

Dear Doesn’t matter,
We quickly identified your parasitic Ichneumon Wasp as
Ichneumon stramentor thanks to a photo posted on Parasitica (scroll down), and we confirmed that identification on Paws for Wildlife where we learned:  “Larva – parasitise the Large Yellow Underwing and Setaceous Hebrew Character caterpillars (possibly others).”

Letter 58 – Ichneumon enters home and startles man!!!

 

Subject: Huge Bug on Mirror
Location: Vancouver, BC.
July 1, 2014 5:06 pm
Hi Bugman,
I’m trying to figure out what this is- it was in my friend’s house today and its HUGE! It looks like its some sort of Mantis or something- Any ideas?
Signature: Jonathan

Ichneumon startles residents

Ichneumon startles residents

Hi Jonathan,
The look on your face is quite startled.  This is some species of Ichneumon, a family of Parasitoid Wasps that are not aggressive, though we have occasionally gotten reports from folks who have been stung.  Female Ichneumons lay eggs on or near specific insect or arthropod hosts and the larval Ichneumon feeds on the host insect, eventually killing it.  We are unable to determine the species of Ichneumon that entered your friend’s home.  According to BugGuide, the family Ichneumonidae:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).”

Letter 59 – Ichneumon from Australia

 

Subject: Unknown flying insect Australia
Location: Melbourne, Australia
February 13, 2013 6:31 pm
Hi,
I don’t want to overload you guys with questions, so I hope this second bug in as many days isn’t too much. I used to see these things all over the place in summer, but now they’ve become reasonably rare around here. I tried searching for it on the ’Down Under’ tag, but it doesn’t seem to exist in the first 60 pages.
The females of this insect seem to have massive ovipositors, but that’s about all I know of them, besides a happy affinity to spend all day flying hopelessly against glass windows.
Even if you don’t get around to looking at this, thanks very much for the site — you’ve done a great job with it.
Signature: Thanks, Tasha

Ichneumon

Hi Tasha,
This appears to us to be an Ichneumon, a type of Parasitic Wasp.  Sorry, no time right not for additional research.

Thank you for your fast response. If you do have time at a later point, I would be very interested to know what it’s parasitic to. Otherwise, thank you very much for your time, and I hope things go well for you!
Yours,
Tasha

Hi again Tasha,
Without knowing the species of Ichneumon, it would be impossible to determine the host.  According to the North American website BugGuide, they feed upon:  “a great variety of hosts (mostly immature stages) is used, though most species attack only a few host types; some infest spiders and other non-insect arthropods.”
  Some common host insects include caterpillars, beetles and the larvae of wood boring wasps.

Thank you again,
Now that I know what to look for, I think it’s the Orange Caterpillar Parasite — Netelia Producta. It seems most prevalent in Queensland (which is probably why trawling for ‘orange wasp Victoria’ didn’t help), but it appears it can come this far south, after I found record of a few sightings of it in Melbourne.
Have a wonderful time, and keep up the great work on the site,
Tasha.

Letter 60 – Ichneumon from Austria

 

Subject: Beautiful nightly visitor
Location: Austria
May 23, 2012 5:12 pm
Dear Bugman,
I’ve just been visited by one of the most beautiful insects I have ever seen and wanted to ask you if you could identify my nightly guest?
One strange thing I noticed is it had what seemed like three extra eyes on the top of its head right between the two big eyes, on the base of its antennas.
A pretty exciting sight, I don’t see such exotic looking insects around here very often.
Greetings from Austria,
Michael
Signature: Michael

Ichneumon

Hi Michael,
We really enjoy getting requests from people who think insects are beautiful that other folks might find repulsive.  This Ichneumon is a parasitic wasp that preys upon other insects and arthropods.  The female lays her eggs within the host by using an ovipositor.  Some wasps have evolved so that the ovipositor has adapted into a stinger and many Ichneumons have very long ovipositors.  A group of North American Ichneumons in the genus
Megarhyssa can have ovipositors as long as five inches in length and they are known as Stump Stabbers since the female uses her ovipositor to lay her eggs in wood that is infested with wood boring insects.

Letter 61 – Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject: What is this pretty bug?
Location: Toronto, Ontario
July 9, 2017 4:43 pm
I found this pretty bug flying around my bush and I don’t recall ever seeing one before. It’s purplish wings were really pretty in the sunlight. Could you please identify it for me?
Signature: Caitlin

Ichneumon: Trogus pennator

Dear Caitlin,
The long antennae on this magnificent wasp caused us to correctly speculate it must be an Ichneumon, and we quickly identified it on BugGuide as
Trogus pennator.  According to BugGuide:  “Trogus pennator is a parasitoid of swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae), ovipositing in the caterpillars.  The solitary larva develops inside the caterpillar, allowing it to pupate before killing it. After metamorphosing, the adult wasp chews an irregular hole in the chrysalis to escape.”

Ichneumon: Trogus pennator

Letter 62 – Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject:  Flying beetle????
Geographic location of the bug:  Cochrane, Alberta Canada
Date: 10/24/2019
Time: 03:56 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Saw this walking along our window (inside)
How you want your letter signed:  Tracey

Ichneumon

Dear Tracey,
Those antennae lead us to believe that this is some species of Ichneumon, a family of parasitoid Wasps whose larvae feed on the internal organs of host-specific Arachnids and immature insects including Caterpillars, Beetle grubs and larvae of wood boring Wasps.  This is an enormous family with according to BugGuide:  “~5,000 described spp. in almost 500 genera in the Nearctic Region, possibly 3,000 more undescribed.”  We doubt it is your species because it is not reported as far north or west, but your individual does resemble 
Limonethe maurator which is pictured on BugGuide.

Letter 63 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: Bugs
Location: Poole England
September 18, 2012 11:41 am
This was found in back garden yesterday – what is it please?
Signature: JPB

Ichneumon

Dear JPB,
This is an Ichneumon Wasp, but our initial search did not turn up any matching images online.  Ichneumons are a large family of wasps that are parasitic on other arthropods, and each species of Ichneumon is generally very specific about its prey.  Ichneumons can be very difficult to identify to the species level.  Though this is not your species, you might enjoy reading this account on the Sutton Park Natural History website.

Letter 64 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: Orange big with glass like wings??
Location: England
September 8, 2015 4:58 am
Hiya,
I found this bug in my bathroom today and thought it was just so pretty! I wish i just knew what it was… any ideas?
Signature: From tegan xx

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear tegan xx,
This is an Ichneumon, a type of parasitic wasp.  Many species are attracted to lights, which is why we suspect it was found in your bathroom.  Your individual reminds us of
Ophion obscuratus which is pictured on iSpot.

Letter 65 – Ichneumon from New Zealand

 


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.

Letter 66 – Ichneumon from Portugal

 

Subject:  What´s that bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Portugal
Date: 12/16/2017
Time: 10:31 AM EDT
Can you please help on identify this bug ?
How you want your letter signed:  Pedro Santos

Ichneumon

Dear Pedro,
This is a parasitoid Ichneumon and it looks similar to
Ophion luteus which is pictured on Wildscreen Arkive.  We are postdating your submission to go live to our site later in the month while we are away from the office for the holidays.

Letter 67 – Ichneumon from Scotland

 

wasp photo
Hi there
I have been through your wood wasp shots but couldn’t find anything like this one. My parents found it beside their pile of firewood logs. It is about an inch long (2.5cm) and the ovipositor is a bit longer than the body. We have never seen anything like it. Some of the logs had 4mm bore holes in them.
Regards
Peter
Falkirk
Scotland

Hi Peter,
Ichneumons are wasp relatives, but have their own page on our site. This looks very similar to our American Megarhyssa species, but we cannot conclusively say that is the correct genus without more research. Female oviposits deep in rotting wood where larvae feed on wood boring insects.

Letter 68 – Ichneumon from Scotland

 

Subject: The Bingo Bug
Location: Scotland
October 10, 2012 6:41 pm
I found this wee creature hanging on the wall in my workplace, a bingo club. I’ve never seen anything like it at work, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it at all! Can you help me and my colleagues find out what it is?
Many thanks,
Becky
Signature: Any way you’d like.

Ichneumon

Dear Any way you’d like,
This is an Ichneumon parasitoid wasp.
  According to the Cornell University Department of Entomology Biological Control website:  “Insect parasitoids have an immature life stage that develops on or within a single insect host, ultimately killing the host, hence the value of parasitoids as natural enemies. Adult parasitoids are free-living and may be predaceous. Parasitoids are often called parasites, but the term parasitoid is more technically correct. Most beneficial insect parasitoids are wasps or flies, although some rove beetles (see Predators) and other insects may have life stages that are parasitoids.  Most insect parasitoids only attack a particular life stage of one or several related species. The immature parasitoid develops on or within a pest, feeding on body fluids and organs, eventually leaving the host to pupate or emerging as an adult. The life cycle of the pest and parasitoid can coincide, or that of the pest may be altered by the parasitoid to accommodate its development.  The life cycle and reproductive habits of beneficial parasitoids can be complex. In some species, only one parasitoid will develop in or on each pest while, in others, hundreds of young larvae may develop within the pest host. Overwintering habits may also vary. Female parasitoids may also kill many pests by direct feeding on the pest eggs and immatures.”

Letter 69 – Ichneumon from UK

 

Subject:  Is this a type of Hornet?
Geographic location of the bug:  Bury lancashire
Date: 06/18/2019
Time: 12:55 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found this little hitch hiker on my car today. Im facinated to know if it is a Hornet.
How you want your letter signed:  The bug man

Ichneumon might be Amblyteles armatorius

This is not a Hornet, but it is a Parasitoid Wasp known as an Ichneumon.  There are so many species that look similar, an exact species identification might not be possible, but it does resemble Amblyteles armatorius which is pictured on UK Safari where it states:  “Ichneumon wasps are solitary insects which are closely related to bees and ants. Most ichneumons are parasitoids.  The females lay their eggs into, or onto, the young of other insects and spiders, and the young which hatch out feed on that host insect.  The host is eventually killed and consumed by the larva just before it pupates.”  There are additional images on Nature Spot.

Letter 2 – WHAT IS THIS THING? Ichneumon Wasp

 

Bugman
I work in Medina Ohio and one of My Marines found this bug and we would like to know what it is?? It is about 4 inchs long thank for any help you can give.
SSgt Horton USMC

Dear SSgt Horton,
Your Marines have captured a female Ichneumon Wasp (Meharhyssa species). That long “stinger” is in fact her ovipositor, and she locates wood boring grubs inside trees with her acute hearing, and penetrates the wood with the ovipositor, depositing an egg near the living grub. The egg hatches and has a living dinner, feasting on the grub until the grub dies from the parasite. We have additional information in our Buggy Biography section as well as on the wasp page of www.whatsthatbug.com. Thank you for the great photo.

Letter 1 – Ichneumon species

 

Bug
Hello!
I found an insect living with me a couple of days ago in my California condo which is nestled against a small, grassy hill. At first, I avoided it – I am very afraid of insects, but I have no desire to harm them. Then I became more and more curious because I’ve never seen anything like it before. It looks like a fly’s torso put onto an orange, wasp-like body! It’s about 1 inch long. I overcame my fear enough to trap it and take a few photos for you. What is it?
Best regards,
Lyndie Chiou

Hi Lyndie,
The reason your Ichneumon looks like a wasp is because they are related, though Ichneumons do not sting. What looks like a stinger is in fact the ovipositor, the egg laying organ of the female Ichneumon. She uses the ovipositor to deposit eggs inside the bodies of her host insects, often caterpillars, and the young Ichneumon will eat the prey alive from the inside. Ichneumons are important in the biological control of insect pests, so they are beneficial.

Letter 2 – Unknown Wasp in Washington State is Ichneumon species

 

YellowJacket/Paper Wasp or something else?
Daniel,
Thanks for the Reply. We live in Mill Creek, just south of Everett, Western Washington State. We have a bunch of these (20+) flying low all around our front yard. My best guess would be a Paper Wasp or Yellow Jacket, but the coloring doesn’t match any of the pictures I found. Just wondering if we need to have someone come out and take care of them. We’ve check the closest tree and the house eves and don’t see any nests. They don’t seem to go into the back yard, or the neighbors front yard. They are not aggressive at all. They don’t seem to care if we are walking through the yard or not.. Thanks Again..
Stephen

hi Stephen,
Thanks for writing back so quickly and providing a location. That is so critical with many identifications. We can tell you that this is NOT a yellow jacket nor a paper wasp, but we are not exactly sure what it is and it will require some research. Meanwhile, we will also contact Eric Eaton for identification assistance.

Daniel:
The wasp is an ichneumon wasp, family Ichneumonidae. Pretty much impossible to give a more specific identification without having the actual specimen to look at under a microscope. As larvae, alll ichneumons are parasitic on other insects (spiders in a few cases).
Eric

Letter 3 – Ichneumon from the UK

 

Subject:  Found this critter in the kitchen today.
Geographic location of the bug:  Sheffield, UK
August 26, 2017 12:33 AM
Can you identify this bug.  Sheffield UK
How you want your letter signed:  No

Ichneumon

Dear No,
This is a parasitoid Ichneumon Wasp and there are several pictured on Nature Spot that look similar including
Buathra laborator which is described on Nature Spot as being “Quite a large blackish insect with mainly orange legs. There are other similar species and expert help is needed with identification. ”  Also similar looking is Pimpla rufipes which is described on Nature Spot as being:  “Length about 15 mm. A mainly black species, but with bright orange legs, the hind pair of legs being only slightly larger than the other pairs. The ovipositor of the female is quite thick and short and the ‘waist’ between the thorax and abdomen is also quite short” and “Mainly an autumn species.”

 

Letter 4 – Pseudoscorpion: Phoresy on an Ichneumon

 

Ichneumon Species-New Find!
Daniel,
In addition to the email i sent earlier, i hope you received it. I was out taking more pics of bugs today, in my yard in Houston, Texas and i happened to catch a strange little, very little, bug hitching a ride on an Ichneumons antennae. I thought it was just a piece of skin or something while taking pics. I didn’t notice the little bug til i got them on the computer. What is this lil bug?
Tracy Palmer

Hi Tracy,
It takes quite some time to plod through all of a given day’s emails, and many do not get read. This is a marvelous set of images. They depict a Pseudoscorpion hitching a ride, a practice known as Phoresy, on an Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa. Because so many people find Pseudoscorpions in their homes, we have devoted an entire page to them.

Letter 5 – Ichneumon from New Zealand

 

Subject: Wasp???
Location: Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand
March 23, 2014 10:11 am
Hi there. Attached is a picture of a wasp-like creature I found in my windowsill. I’ve never seen one before and a friend who lives nearby also found one in her house and has also never seen it before. We live in Whangarei, New Zealand which is in Northland (at the North of the North Island). We wanted to make sure it wasn’t a new immigrant.
Signature: Jana in New Zealand

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Jana,
This is an Ichneumon, member of a group of Parasitic Wasps that prey upon Arthropods.  Many species of Ichneumons are very host specific, often preying upon a single species of Lepidoptera, Hemiptera or even one of the Arachnids.  Identifying the exact species of Ichneumon in the large and confusing family Ichneumonidae is a daunting task, but if you want to pursue that route, the Landcare Research site for New Zealand might be a good point of departure.

Letter 6 – Ichneumon from Alaska

 

Subject: Crane Fly or Other?
Location: Wasilla Alaska
July 22, 2013 4:21 am
Hi, my son is six and at a time of q&a with me, his homeschooling mom, about everything he encounters. I never realized how little I know about the immediate world around me until recently! I’m determined to keep up and thus I have landed here on your site. I am hoping this is just a Crane Fly type, but the thorax pattern and long stinger throw that idea off a bit. Please help. Kind Regards,
Signature: Curious’s Mom

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Curious’s Mom,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a group of parasitoid wasps that prey upon other insects and arthropods.  The “stinger” is actually an ovipositor, and many Ichnuemons use the ovipositor to deposit eggs beneath the surface of stumps and logs that are infested with wood boring insects.  Those Ichneumons are commonly called Stump Stabbers.  We don’t get many submissions from Alaska, and we try to identify creatures to the species level whenever possible, but Ichneumons are a large group of insects and many species are not well described.  Your Ichneumon appears to be a very different species from this previous Ichneumon from Alaska that we posted several years ago.  Your individual does look very similar to this member of the genus Rhyssa that is posted to BugGuide.

Letter 7 – Ichneumon from Singapore

 

Subject: What’s yellow and black and has a long stinger?
Location: Singapore
April 7, 2014 10:57 pm
Hello!
I’m in Singapore and last night I looked down to find an insect crawling on my shoulder. (I was in bed, so…that was not fun.) It’s about the size of my thumb’s distal phalanx bone, and the stinger(?) looks quite long. Please help, I’m hoping it’s not a wasp!
Thanks for reading~
Signature: Jamie

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Jamie,
This is a Parasitic Wasp known as an Ichneumon, and for many years we claimed that Ichneumons did not sting.  What you have taken for a stinger is actually the ovipositor of the female Ichneumon.  We later learned that some Ichneumons are capable of stinging humans, but they are a rarity among the large number of members in the family.  According to BugGuide:  “arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  As a side note, the stinger in bees and wasps is a modified ovipositor that has adapted to multitasking:  laying eggs as well as stinging potential threats.

Dear Daniel,
Thank you for the identification, and it’s good to know it’s unlikely to have stung me since it wasn’t that big! (I let it go later as well, so now I don’t have to feel too bad about letting a potentially harmful insect go around my place.) Also, huh, I always thought the stinger for bees/wasps was specifically for stinging. The more you know…!
Thanks again so much!
Cheers,
Jamie

Hi Jamie,
We should clarify one matter regarding the stingers of Bees and Wasps.  Generally, social species have a queen and workers with the workers being sterile females.  The stingers of the sterile, social workers, including Honey Bees and Hornets, only serves as a stinger.  In those cases, the modification that has evolved is no longer capable of multitasking.

Letter 8 – Ichneumon from UK

 

Beetle? Fly? Wasp?
Location: Radcliffe, Lancashire, NW UK.
June 30, 2011 11:18 am
Hi, I have today found an insect and I have no clue what it is. Dimensions are included on one of the pictures. I have performed a search online but can find nothing like it, the closest in terms of shape would be the Snake Fly. 30/06/2011, weather slightly breezy, intermittent clouds/sun and 16 degrees celsius.
Many thanks for your help,
Chris.
Signature: CPS

Ichneumon

Hi Chris,
This is a Parasitoid Wasp known as an Ichneumon.  The closest match on the Bugs and Weeds website is identified as
Ichneumon suspiciosus agg. and this is the information that is provided:  “Like many Ichneumon species, this is a member of an aggregate group of very similar looking species (hence the ‘agg.’ suffix) that cannot be definitively identified without recourse to close microscopic scrutiny.  The yellow and black banded antennae and legs and an overall length of 15mm (excluding antennae) suggests that it might possibly be Ich. suspiciosus – or something similar!  It is an endoparasite of moth larvae. That is, the adult female ichneumon inserts an egg under the skin of a caterpillar and the resultant wasp larva will slowly develop internally within the caterpillar until the caterpillar enters pupation. The parasite will then enter its own pupation and, on completion of its metamorphosis, will be the sole adult insect to emerge.  This will take place in summer or autumn and the emergent adult will hibernate throughout the winter to fly again in spring coincident with the emegence of adult moths and the next generation of their caterpillars.”  UK Safari also has a photo.  Your individual is black and white, but it looks very similar.  We suspect it is a closely related species.  It should be noted that Ichneumons can be very difficult to accurately identify to the species level.  The ISpot website has a very close match that is not identified.

Letter 9 – Ichneumon Wasp

 

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.

Letter 10 – Ichneumon from Hungary

 

Subject: Strange bug with long sting
Location: Hungary, Fót
May 20, 2014 6:27 am
Dear Bugman!
I have found this strange bug in my friend’s house in Fót, a small town near Budapest the capital of Hungary.
Sadly he has killed it, and took it’s head off for it to not suffer.
He was scared that it might be a tropical mosquito which came with a shipment of bananas.
Could you please tell me, what kind of bug is this, and if it’s any dangerous?
Signature: Tom

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Tom,
This is a parasitic wasp, most likely an Ichneumon, and though it is quite frightening, Ichneumons are not aggressive and they do not attempt to sting humans.  What appears to be a stinger is actually an ovipositor, an organ that has evolved so that the female can deposit her eggs where they will hatch and the developing larva will have access to a food supply.  Your individual resembles the North American Stump Stabbers in the genus
Megarhyssa, and the female wasp uses her ovipositor to deposit eggs in stumps and branches that are infested with wood boring larvae of Wood Wasps known as Pigeon Horntails as the larvae of the Pigeon Horntail is the sole food of the larvae of the Stump Stabber.  Your Ichneumon looks very similar to this Perithous species that is pictured on FlickR.  Alas, the folks who post to FlickR never seem to provide a location for their images.

Letter 11 – Gasteruptiidae Wasp, not Ichneumon

 

Pelecinid?
Hi Daniel and Lisa,
When I first saw this flying critter, I thought that it was a pelecinid. After doing some research, I’m not very convinced that this is what this is. It was maybe a 1 inch to an inch and half from head to the end of its ovipositor. I’m guessing that it’s an ovipositor and not a stinger. had rescued it from my pool, and was able to get some shots of it while it dried its wings. Any info or direction you can give me in identifying this insect is very appreciated. Thanks!
Yvonne
Barrie, Ontario

Ed. Note When Yvonne first wrote to us, we misidentified her Gasteruptiidae Wasp as an Ichneumon without posting it. She has since sought the assistance of BugGuide, which we thoroughly endorse since they are a vast network of scientific information. Yvone then wrote back with BugGuide’s findings.

(07/09/2007) Ichneumon or Gasteruptiidae wasp
Hello again,
According to some other sources, the image I sent to you is not of an Ichneumon, but of a Gasteruptiidae wasp. I’m not sure if the jury is still out, but so far, that is what the consensus is. Do you still think it’s an ichneumon?
Yvonne

Hi again Yvonne,
Thank you for bringing this error to our attention. Remember, we are artists without entomological training.

Letter 12 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Large fly
Location: Southeasterd Pennsylvania
July 28, 2017 12:05 pm
This bugger showed up in our kitchen. His body was well over an inch in length. Interesting eyes. He’s now outside somewhere, having bee released, as we do to all creatures we find ion the house, except ants, mosquitoes, and pantry moths. Spiders and Scutigera usually get to stay as they’re eating something.
Signature: Huffy

Ichneumon

Dear Huffy,
This Ichneumon is not a Fly.  It is a parasitoid wasp.

Letter 13 – Ichneumon from Israel

 

Five-eyed wasp?
February 14, 2010
Hi Bug People!
On my weekend hike in the nothwestern Negev desert, Israel, I came across this wasp. I don’t even know where to start looking for information on it. It wasn’t very active and let me take close ups.
Later, when I looked at the pictures, I noticed three extra ‘eyes’ on its head. Any ideas that might point me in the right direction would be appreciated!
It was about 2.5cm (1 inch) long, dull orange, with very long antennae. I saw no ovipositor so I’m guessing it’s a male.
Thanks!
Ben
Northwest Negev, Israel

Ichneumon

Hi again Ben,
WE are relatively certain this is an Ichneumon, a family of parasitory wasps that is nearly impossible to identify to the species or even genus level without inspection of the actual specimen by an expert. Many wasps have three simple ocelli in addition to two compound eyes.

Ichneumon

Letter 14 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: What is this?
Location: Orange, nsw, Australia
February 20, 2014 4:25 am
Hi bug man, this flew into our house, i have never seen anything like it, could you please tell me what it is.
Signature: Tara

Crane Fly

Ichneumon

Hi Tara,
We believe this is a Crane Fly in the family Tipulidae.  There are some images on the Brisbane Insect site that look similar.

Correction
Subject: “Tipulidae” from Australia
February 22, 2014 11:52 am
Hi,
on Feb. Feb.20, 2014 “Tara” posted an isect from New South Wales, Australia.  You answered that this might be a crane fly / Tipulidae, but if you look at the wing venation it is evident that this insect does not belong to the Diptera at all, it’s Hymenoptera. It’ another parasitic Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae or Braconidae. You may compare the wing venation of a Tipulidae here: http://www.metafysica.nl/nature/insect/hennig1954_7.jpg
Kind regards Erwin
Signature: Erwin Beyer

Thanks Erwin.  Because of an earlier comment, we have already addressed this error, and we will add your comment to the posting.

Letter 15 – Unidentified Ichneumon from Pacific Northwest

 

Subject: Ichneumon in Pacific Northwest
Location: Lacey, Washington (Southwestern Washington )
June 30, 2014 6:33 pm
Hello,
I used whatsthatbug.com to identify some new visitors to my front yard. After finding in your 2008 archives what appears to be the same wasp as I have, I would like to share some photos with you to share if you wish.
Signature: Lisa

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Dear Lisa,
Thank you for sending additional images of this still unidentified Ichneumon from the Pacific Northwest.

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Unidentified Ichneumon

Letter 16 – Black Swallowtail Caterpillar Metamorphoses into Chrysalis: Ichneumon Emerges!!!

 

this was supposed to be a black swallowtail butterfly
Location:  southwest ohio
August 11, 2010 4:19 pm
i found a black swallowtail caterpillar,

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar: Beginning Metamorphosis

(found that on your site) in my front yard. a few days later it put itself in a cacoon or chrysalis. yesterday i noticed something flying in the container but it was way to small to be my butterfly. WHAT IS THIS??????????
BIBEF

Black Swallowtail Chrysalis

Dear BIBEF,
By all outward appearances, your Black Swallowtail had begun its metamorphosis into a chrysalis and things should have culminated in the emergence of a butterfly, but while it was still a caterpillar, your individual was parasitized by a type of wasp known as an Ichneumon.  We quickly identified the adult Ichneumon that you photographed as
Trogus pennator, which BugGuide indicates “is a parasitoid of swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae), ovipositing in the caterpillars. The female Ichneumon lays a solitary egg inside the caterpillar using her stingerlike ovipositor.  BugGuide has a nice series of images documenting this process. The Ichneumon Larva develops inside the the caterpillar, feeding upon its internal organs and allowing it to pupate into a chrysalis.  At some point hidden from view, the Ichneumon Larva undergoes its own metamorphosis into a pupa, eventually emerging as an adult wasp and chewing its way out of the chrysalis through an irregular hole.  The adult butterfly will not emerge once it has been parasitized.  BugGuide also has a photo that illustrates that action.  Back in the seventeenth century in Germany, artist and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian became one of the first people to notice and document insect metamorphosis at a time when the accepted theory was spontaneous generation.  Maria Sibylla Merian observed that caterpillars formed pupae and emerged as moths and butterflies as part of a natural process of metamorphosis, but she was puzzled that some caterpillars did not metamorphose in a typical manner, emerging instead as flies or wasps.  She documented this puzzle in her intricate drawings which were published in a two volume book known as Caterpillars, Their Wondrous Transformation and Peculiar Nourishment from Flowers or simply The Caterpillar Book.  You should be able to see the hole in the chrysalis.  As a point of clarification, butterflies do not form a cocoon as their pupae are bare.  A cocoon is usually spun of silk to cover a naked pupa.  Most moths form a cocoon to protect the pupa.

Ichneumon: Trogus pennator

 

Letter 17 – Cocoon of an Ichneumon

 

Beautiful egg or chrysalis
Location:  Cherokee County, NC
August 23, 2010 5:28 pm
I’ve seen these things every now and then, but I’ve never been able to find an image(or identification for that matter) of them online.
The ”capsule” was hanging from a thread about an inch long that was fastened to the underside of a privet leaf. It reminds me of a lacewing’s egg, but I’ve never seen one this color, and image searches proved to be useless as well. I figure that it could possibly be some sort of chrysalis, but it’s rather small and seems to be fairly smooth.
Any ID or some pointers leading to an ID is greatly appreciated. I love checking in on the site every day or two to see what’s new.
Jacob

Ichneumon Cocoon

Hi Jacob,
We opened your photo and letter the other day, and we were pressed for time and we didn’t know where to begin with your identification.  Today, we were trying to identify an Ichneumon image that was sent to us and we stumbled across this posting on BugGuide that is identified as the Cocoon of an Ichneumon in the subfamily Campopleginae.  Bingo, that was your cocoon.  Please excuse the late response.  We identified this mystery quite by accident and then we had to go through old mail to locate your letter.  Luckily the subject line was memorable.  Here is the comment Charley Elseman posted to BugGuide:  “One of many subfamilies of ichneumonids. Most other ichneumonids form cocoons within their hosts, or at least within their hosts’ cocoons, and as far as I know none have fancy patterns like this. I think that many different campoplegines make cocoons with a pattern reminiscent of this one, but only a few suspend them from a string like this. Bob Carlson may be able to say something more specific about it.
”  Bob Patterson wrote this comment:  “See the page on Parasites, Predators and Parasitoids at MPG. There is no doubt equivalent and even better material to be found here at BugGuide.

Thanks for the identification! That link to BugGuide helped ID some of the little wasps that have been sneaking around the house lately on top of helping to ID the cocoon.

 

Letter 18 – Future Ichneumons will benefit

 

GREAT SITE
Dear Bugman,
Thanks for the great site. I have a cabin in Northern Michigan, and over the past couple of years, I have noticed a very large strange looking insects which I have not been able to identify in any bug book that I have looked at…but I did find it on your site, along with a lot of very informative information. The insects were giant ichneumon. Unfortunate to say though, there were several on the one tree, and with having small kids around, a bug that size that looked like a wasp, was met with a dose of wasp spray. I wish that I had read your articles earlier, and finding out that they are harmless, they could have provided some interesting viewing, expecially after knowing that they did not sting. Thanks for the great site, keep it up and running, as it is definatly one of the most informative bug sites that I have found. Sam

Thanks for your kind letter Sam. Future Ichneumons thank you as well.

Letter 19 – Ichneumon

 

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.

Letter 20 – Ichneumon

 

Redish-brown flying insect, looks somewhat like a wasp, but with no stiner or visible mandibles
Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 4:43 AM
We live in the Puget Sound area in Washington state on Whidbey Island. It rains often, is overcast when it isn’t raining, and it is to be expected that there’ll be bugs trying to enter the home to escape the water.
We found this bug in our hallway after walking the dog around 4 in the morning. It’s been unusually cold for this time of year, and has been raining for the past 3 days.
We captured the bug between a cup and saucer and took this photo, afterwards we released it into the bushes outside the apartment.
Apartment Dweller
Whidbey Island, Puget Sound Area of Washington State

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Apartment Dweller,
This is an Ichneumon.  Ichneumons are a group of parasitic wasps that prey upon different insects.  This may be a male Ichneumon which would explain the lack of a stinger.  Many female Ichneumons, especially in the genus Megarhyssa,  have highly developed ovipositors, some up to five inches long.  These organs are needed to locate wood burrowing larvae that serve as food for the young.  Other Ichneumons have much smaller ovipositors.  This is a large confusing group of insects, and we rarely attempt to make specific species or genus identification attempts.

Letter 21 – Ichneumon

 

Unknown bug pictures included
Sat, Mar 28, 2009 at 6:26 AM
We are finding these bugs at our house. A few weeks ago we found 2 very small bugs (babies) that flew into the house. They appeared to be attreacted to lampshades or light fixtures. We are now seeing larger ones outside hanging out on the outside of our sliding glass door and windows. This particular bug is 3/4 of an inch from tip of ‘tail’ to tip of anntenae. They look like ants with wings, but with long anttenae and a possible stinger from the back portion. It is straight and does not ever appear curved or fluid in movement. We are not seeing a tremendous amount, and only one at a time seems to be around.
Vickie
Maryland

Ichneumon: genus Pimpla???

Ichneumon: genus Pimpla???

Hi Vickie,
This is an Ichneumon, a family of parasitic wasps that prey on a variety of host insects and arthropods.  Ichneumons will not harm you nor your home, and they are important biological controls for keeping insect populations in check.  We believe your example may be in the genus Pimpla as evidenced by images posted to BugGuide.

Letter 22 – Ichneumon

 

Ichneumon wasp
October 5, 2009
Dear Bugman, I am resubmitting this tiny wasp from july 30, 2009. After sending it to Bugguide, it was identified on Oct. 4, as Messatoporus rufiventris. I thought it ironic, that she should stand on the ISBN of an insect identification book. I have an old camera with no macro. So the photos aren’t the best. Thanks for looking.
Terry
Mound, MN

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Terry,
Thanks so much for resubmitting your images of an Ichneumon after it has been properly identified on BugGuide.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Letter 23 – Ichneumon

 

Unknown possible bee?
May 28, 2010
Hi bugman,
I found this bug in my kitchen on a wooded mountain in northern Maryland a few evenings ago. It has transparent folded wings that aren’t visible in the picture. It’s between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch long. Its patterns are very beautiful and have great contrast, and it has a small black eye surrounded by white on each side of its head as well as black and white stripes on a sort of yellowish body. I’ve never seen this bug before that I remember. I’m really not sure what it is. I’d appreciate any info. you could offer.
Thanks so much!
Steiv
Thurmont, MD

Ichneumon

Hi Steiv,
This is an Ichneumon Wasp, and we believe we have identified it as Messatoporus discoidalis on BugGuide, though Ichneumons are notoriously difficult to identify.  Ichneumons are parasitoid wasps, and according to BugGuide, depending upon the species, their prey includes:  “a great variety of hosts (mostly immature stages) is used, though most species attack only a few host types; some infest spiders and other non-insect arthropods.
”  If our identification is correct, your Ichneumon is in the tribe Cryptini, and according to BugGuide:  “Cryptini search for hosts primarily among foliage (rather than in the soil or ground litter) and have larger average size.

Letter 24 – Ichneumon

 

Crazy looking flying ant-like creature
Location: Victoria, B.C.
June 23, 2011 11:02 pm
Found this in the mid-spring. It was just sitting on these blossoms for hours. I saw another one of them but way smaller. So I thought perhaps this is a queen or something. But if you can see, it has a very long needle thing out the back end of it. It looks like a flying ant but very unique qualities. I really want to know what this is! Thank you in advance.
Signature: Well Done!

Ichneumon

Dear Well Done!,
This is some species of Icheumon, though we are uncertain of he species.  Ichneumons are parasitic relatives of wasps and bees.  The long stinger is an ovipositor that is an organ the female uses to lay eggs.  Ichneumons are parasitic on a variety of insects.

Letter 25 – Ichneumon

 

Bug on my window
Location: Chicago, IL (downtown)
April 8, 2012 6:59 pm
Hello Bugman,
I live on the 19th floor of my apartment building in downtown Chicago. I saw this bug on my window and decided it was best not to open the window given that I have no screens. Is this thing venomous? Do you know what it is?
Signature: Catharine

Ichneumon

Dear Catharine,
This is a species of parasitic Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, a large family whose members are known as Ichnuemons or Ichneumon Wasps.  The female is identified by her long ovipositor, an organ that has been adapted into a stinger in many species of bees and wasps, though most species of Ichneumons are not capable of stinging humans.  The ovipositor in Ichneumons is used to deposit eggs in or near the bodies of the host prey for the larva, and in the case of the Stump Stabbers that have an ovipositor as long as five inches, this involves drilling into dead and dying wood to locate the wood boring larvae of Wood Wasps, their sole host.  Ichneumons can be very difficult to identify to the species level, but we believe your species might be
Coleocentrus rufus which we found on BugGuide.  The genus page for Coleocentrus rufus on BugGuide states:  “hosts unknown for most NA spp. (a lepturine reported for C. flavipes),” and that may mean that the host for your species is also a wood boring beetle larva in the Longhorned Borer family Cerambycidae, subfamily Lepturinae.

Letter 26 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: With butterflies come biological controls…
Location: Winnipeg MB
June 3, 2012 10:02 am
As much as we humans love butterflies, so do other insects – as food. This ichneumon was found in my small plastic greenhouse, which works as a spectacular bug trap. I identified it in Bugguide as Trogus pennator, a swallowtail caterpillar parasite.
Signature: Bugophile in Winnipeg

Ichneumon

Dear Bugophile in Winnipeg,
We commend you on your identification.  Ichneumons are a diverse and varied group of parasitic wasps and they are not easy to identify and we are linking to the BugGuide page for the species.  We also have photos in our archive of a
Trogus pennator that emerged from a Black Swallowtail Chrysalis.  Thanks for sending us your photograph.

Letter 27 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: five eyed bug
Location: Northern Vermont
September 30, 2012 8:15 pm
I shot this photo on the siding at night by the light. It seems to have five eyes and an ant-like body. By the shadow, it looks like it has an ant-like mandible as well.
Signature: Kathryn W.

Ichneumon

Hi Kathryn,
This is an Ichneumon, a type of parasitoid wasp that belongs to a large family that is often difficult to identify to the species level.
  According to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates(3)).”

Letter 28 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Nighttime waspy thing?!
Location: Southern New Jersey just outside of Philadelphia
April 30, 2013 9:28 pm
Hello bugman! I have these annoying, non-aggressive wasp type bugs all over our property. I usually only find them at night, except for the occasional one that sneaks inside. I caught one the other day and he tried continuously to sting the paper towel, with what resembled a small stinger on his back end. They aren’t aggressive, they seem very unintelligent, and they are very thin in that there isn’t much matter to them. They are a reddish brown see-through color, with clear wings outlined in the same body color. I’ve found several different sizes of them as well. I’ve never seen or heard of a wasp being active at night, so I’m baffled as to what this could be! Southern NJ just outside Philadelphia, warm days(60-70º), cool spring nights(50-60º). Started noticing them last year around this time, lasting through the summer and warmer months of Fall. Any info you could give would be GREATLY APPRECIATED! Thank you 🙂 (this picture i s zoomed in very close)
Signature: Annoyed in NJ

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Annoyed in NJ,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a member of a very large family of parasitic wasps.  Some species are attracted to lights at night.  See BugGuide for additional information on this family including this tidbit of information:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).” 

Thank you so much for the information and quick response!  I look forward to learning more about these little buggers!

Letter 29 – Ichneumon

 

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.

Letter 30 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: What the..
Location: Vancouver, bc Canada
September 2, 2013 10:58 am
My friend is in Vancouver and she found this beauty in her house. I looked all over this site and the closest I came to it was the short tailed ichneumon.
Signature: Michelle

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Michelle,
We agree that this is an Ichneumon.

Letter 31 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: found this on m kitchen table
Location: Southern California
February 20, 2014 8:41 pm
my son was eating lunch when I noticed this little beauty on my table! It is about 1 inch long, tip of antenna to end of abdomen. Six legs, two sets of wings. So beautiful! I have never seen these in my area before!
Signature: BB

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi BB,
This parasitic Ichneumon Wasp is in the subfamily Ophioninae and you may read more about them on BugGuide.  This is one group that is frequently attracted to lights, and though we generally inform our readers that Ichneumons are harmless, we learned several years ago that this group is known to sting.  According to BugGuide:  “Females have a very compressed abdomen and a short, very sharp ovipositor. The ovipositor can penetrate the human skin; most other ichneumons can’t ‘sting’.”

Letter 32 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Unknown wasp species?
Location: Shenandoah National Park (Madison, VA)
March 16, 2014 9:50 am
Hi there – we ran across this guy in the Shenandoah National Park in the state of Virginia, very near a small mountain stream. We tried to look around on the computer, but couldn’t find a definitive answer and the curiosity is pretty intense now ;). Any folks out there know what this is?
Thanks!
Signature: Curious Virginian

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Curious Virginian,
The best we can provide for you at this time is a family name.  This is an Ichneumon Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae.  According to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  Even if we were able to locate a similar looking individual by browsing through BugGuide, it would most likely require an expert to definitively determine the correct species.

Letter 33 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Slow flying wasp/dragonfly hybrid?
Location: Sammamish, WA
July 14, 2014 4:19 pm
Dear Bugman, we found this flying beauty in iut kitchen today. He/She is approx 2.5″ long in the body with slightly smaller wingspan and a 3″ long stingy stinger looking thing hanging from its rear end. Very beautiful and flies rather slow. Body is black and white with clear wings and bright orangish yellow legs (long and lanky legs with interesting joints). We contained it long enough to take a few photos and some video then let it free outside. Any guess on what it is- I’ve never seen one before?
Signature: The Joyce family

Ichneumon: Rhyssa lineolata

Ichneumon: Rhyssa lineolata

Dear Joyce family,
This is a Parasitic Ichneumon Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, and according to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  We believe we have correctly identified your Ichneumon as
Rhyssa lineolata based on this image posted to BugGuide.

Letter 34 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: What is this???
Location: South Texas
October 22, 2014 10:42 pm
I see these bugs all over my door at night where I live. What is it?? Do they bite/sting? Help..
Signature: Hannah Gohlke

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Hannah,
This is an Ichneumon, a member of a large and diverse family of parasitic wasps.  Most Ichneumons are harmless, but some are capable of stinging, and this does appear to be on of those Ichneumons that sting.

Letter 35 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Weird Red Flying Insect
Location: Mill Creek, WA, USA
February 8, 2015 11:12 pm
Hi! I saw this bug quite a while ago on the side of my house. I just learned about your website so I thought I’d send in my pic! I hope you can help!!
Signature: What?

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear What?,
This is an Ichneumon, a parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, which according to BugGuide has:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).  Your individual looks very similar to this member of the genus
Ophion from Idaho that is pictured on BugGuide.”

Letter 36 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Random Washington bug… I guess
Location: Western Washington
March 10, 2015 9:38 pm
So sometime this last late fall/early winter was the first time I saw this bug. later it they started appearing whenever we would leave the door or a window open. My moms first reaction was to kill it so it took a while for me to even be able to catch one. when i caught the one in the photo I couldn’t get a clear photo of it. so i released it in the bathroom and took a few pictures of it then opened the window. when i looked back at the bug it was gone. i found it like a few mins later on the sink ether paralyzed or dead don’t really know which cause my mom found it before i could get another thing to hold it in and she killed it -_-
Signature: ~Devin

Ichenumon

Ichneumon

Hi Devin,
This is a parasitic wasp known as an Ichneumon.  For many years we thought that Ichneumons were incapable of stinging humans, but we later learned that one particular group of Ichneumons in the genus
Ophion can sting.  According to Nature.com:  “while Ophion is one of the few Ichneumonidæ which are known to sting, and while a small, narrow poison sac has been detected in a few species of that immense family, none has been recorded in Ophion luteus. But whereas the sting is followed in every instance by considerable inflammation and pain, such as would not be the effect of the mere stab of a needle, it seems almost certain that some irritant is injected into the wound, possibly for the purpose of paralysing the fly’s legitimate victim, as in the case of the hunting-wasps.”  According to BugGuide:  “They are often attracted to artificial lights.”  We believe your Ichneumon is in the genus Ophion.  We have tried unsuccessfully to convince folks that Crane Flies do NOT sting, and we believe they have been mistaking these Ichneumons for Crane Flies.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Letter 37 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Wasp?
Location: 70363
April 15, 2016 7:12 am
We found this bug but not familiar with it
Signature: Ryan duthu

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Ryan,
Your wasp is a parasitic Ichneumon.  According to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”

Letter 38 – Female Stump Stabber missing her ovipositor

 

Subject: Never saw this one
Location: Pennsylvania
May 31, 2016 5:10 pm
Hey bugman,
My son happened to find this interesting looking flying bug. It was buzzing along the grass. Not sure if it was injured. Any idea?
Signature: Sincerely, Mike from Philly

Ichneumon

Female Stump Stabber, missing her ovipositor

Dear Mike from Philly,
We can tell you that this is a parasitic Ichneumon Wasp, but we are having trouble conclusively identifying it to the species level, so we have contacted Eric Eaton and explained out doubts.  The yellow antennae and shape of the abdomen rule out a male
Megarhyssa atrata which is pictured on BugGuide and Beetles in the Bush, and all the examples of  Therion morio on BugGuide have black heads.  What this Ichneumon looks most like to us is a female Stump Stabber, Megarhyssa atrata, but with a missing ovipositor, a condition we could not really explain.  See this BugGuide image for comparison.  We will get back to you when we hear from Eric Eaton.

Ichneumon

Maimed Female Stump Stabber

Definitely agree with you that it closely resembles the female stump stabbed after doing a little more research on the Internet.  But why no ovipositor? Can it become disconnected when/after laying its eggs? Could a bird have eaten just that part of it? Hopefully Mr.  Eaton has an idea.
Thank you so much for responding to me.  Can’t wait to tell my son.  Keep me posted.

Eric Eaton Confirms our suspicions
Daniel:
This is a *female* M. atrata that has lost her ovipositor.  Sometimes they get “stuck” while in operation, and/or the wasp needed to flee a potential predator.  I have frequently found ovipositors lodged in logs or stumps, the wasp having been consumed by a predator while in the act of laying eggs.
Eric

Thanks for the confirmation Eric.
I have heard that sometimes the females get stuck while ovipositing and cannot withdraw, dying in the act.  Is that also true?
Daniel

Letter 39 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Unidentified wasp
Location: Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Southern Quebec
November 11, 2016 11:07 am
Hi again,
I found a wasp at the Ecomuseum, in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, southern Quebec, on the third of october. I made some researches and came up with 3 species names. Do you think you could correctly identify it based on the picture?
Thank you so much!
Signature: Camille

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Camille,
This is a parasitic Ichneumon Wasp, a member of a very large family with many similar looking individuals.  This white striped antennae pattern is common in the family, and there are many similar looking species on the Parasitica, Ichneumon wasps, Ichneumonidae site, including an image identified as
Coelichneumon sinisterBugGuide has an image identified as Coelichneumon barnstoni that also looks very similar.  Alas, we cannot be certain of its species identification.

Letter 40 – Ichneumon

 

Horntail? (Kirkland, WA)
I have two, sometimes three of these, everyday, on the south facing windows. On the inside. Have not seen these insects around the home in previous years, but two events may explain (aside from the season). The first is the neighbor’s house was destrpyed by fire, the second I have had the torch down roof replaced. Now some of these insects I see each day have an ovipositor and some like this one pictured, don’t. And then again, some have an orange banding around their bodies and not yellow … and there appears to be an armored shell. The picture was taken using a Nikon Coolpix 775. The insect is in a glass jar. Wasps or horntails?
regards
chrisE

Hi chrisE,
This appears to be a male Ichneumon. Females have the long ovipositors. Eggs are laid deep inside dead and dying trees since the larval food is wood boring insects. Ichneumons are related to wasps. Eric Eaton added the following: ” Oh, that male ichneumon could be a female. Not all female ichneumons have a long ovipositor. In fact, most don’t.”

Letter 41 – Ichneumon

 

Subject: Creepy bug
Location: New Jersey Pine Barrens
July 16, 2017 4:12 pm
I found this bug in the shower stalls at my camp and it didn’t bother me, but I have not been able to identify it and would really like to know what it is. I found it in the summer in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
Signature: Cate

Ichneumon

Dear Cate,
We believe we have correctly identified your parasitoid Ichneumon as
Xorides stigmapterus thanks to this BugGuide image.  According to BugGuide of the genus:  “hosts: wood-boring beetles, especially Buprestidae and Cerambycidae.”

Letter 42 – Ichneumon

 

Subject:  Tiny and Friendly… Wasp?
Geographic location of the bug:  Greensboro, North Carolina U.S.A.
Date: 10/06/2017
Time: 01:19 PM EDT
I found this small, winged insect in my bathroom sink this morning. At first I thought he was dead, but when I put my finger in front of him he crawled onto my fingernail. I took him outside where he cleaned himself off, investigated my hand, and eventually flew away. To give you an idea of his size, that’s my pinky finger that he’s perched on. I’ve tried to identify him for the past hour with no luck. He seems to have the body shape of some of the spider wasps I’ve found on the Internet, but his size and coloring doesn’t match. Any help putting a name to my new “friend” would be wonderfully appreciated!
How you want your letter signed:  Thank you so much, Corey

Ichneumon

Dear Corey,
This is a Parasitoid Ichneumon Wasp and it looks like
Sphelodon phoxopteridis which is pictured on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “hosts include various leafrollers (Tortricidae).” 

Letter 43 – Ichneumon

 

bright red legs, bright blue body….what is it?
Hello Mr Bugman Sir,
I know you are busy what with this being summer but curiousity about this guy (girl?) is just too much to take!!! Seriously I am attempting to ID it myself and instead have made myself aware of way too many spooky creatures out there! Please pretty please look at my picture! Ok enough begging. Although his coloring is a bit drab now, when alive his legs were bright crimson and the body parts were a shimmery bright blue. He has two long curling (Suess-like) antennae and two stingers? trailing from the back end. These started flying during May sometime into our house in Victoria, B.C. ‘Course I am hoping that they are termites or carpenter ants – they don’t fit the description from what I can determine. Please tell me they are something innocuous and just plain pretty, made by Mother Nature.
Thanks, in advance, for your consideration.
Ann-Marie

Hi Ann-Marie,
We turned to Eric Eaton for more information on your species of Ichneumon. He wrote back telling us that except for Meharhyssa and Arotes it is nearly impossible to identify the genus and species of Ichneumons from photos. These are beneficial relatives of wasps that lay eggs and parasitize many types of destructive insects including caterpillars and borers.

Letter 44 – Ichneumon

 

weird flying orange antennae big bug in Canada
Hi. Awesome website!
I checked through and can’t find this weird flying bug with a black body (that it holds flipped up, over its head – although the 2nd pic I did get in normal position), and orange antennae. I’m always photographing butterflies and bugs and love their beauty, however I have to admit this ‘thing’ scared me! It’s about 2-3 inches long, and I had never before seen it in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Many thanks
Fran

Hi Fran,
We thought this was a male Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa, but we were wrong. See Below.

Many thanks. If it’s any help: when my sister and I first spotted it: it looked like it had just wings and antennae, like it was trying to stuff its body into the crack in the tree. (weird). Then it had it flipped over its back most of the time, and only for one ‘wiggle’ did it appear normal, then back to this position. Looking forward to your reply. Best regards,
Fran.

Correction: (07/31/2007)
Eric Eaton set us straight. Here is what he wrote: “Hi, Daniel: That is an ichneumon wasp, but NOT a Megarhyssa. We have images over at Bugguide identified as Gnamptopelta obsidianator, but I don’t know any more than that. Females of that species lack the long ovipositors.
Eric”

Letter 45 – Ichneumon

 

What’s THIS bug?
Hi there,
This bug appeared on my desk tonight and we’ve never seen one like this before. What made me take notice of it most was the white midsection on the dark coloured antennae. I apologize for the quality of the photos but our digital camera won’t take good closeups. This is the best I could do. One photo was taken while the bug was sitting on a white envelope and the other two were taken with it sitting on the beige wallpaper. The bug is about an inch long if you count in the antennae. He flies from one light to another or sits on the wall next to the light. I’d appreciate knowing what it is. I looked on your website but, not knowing what type of bug to look up, I’d have to look at every listing there. Since I have dialup and not high speed, that would take forever. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. I hope this thing doesn’t bite because we’ve chosen to let him fly free. If he lands on me, I may change my mind on that though!
Cheryl Jones
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canada

Hi Cheryl,
This is an Ichneumon. Ichneumons are an important group of insects that parasitize caterpillars, wood boring insects, aphids and others. Ichneumons are related to wasps, but they do not sting. BugGuide has identified your group of Ichneumons in a very general sense according to color: Black/White w Orange legs, Dot on Back, White on Antennae. BugGuide also indicates that Ichneumonidae is: “One of the largest families of insects with over 3100 species in North America (60,000 worldwide). The majority resemble slender wasps. They differ from the wasps that sting (Scolioidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea) in that they have the antennae longer and with more segments usually 16 or more). In many ichneumons the ovipositor is quite long, often longer than the body. It is divided into 24 or 35 subfamilies depending on different authors.. Many Ichneumons are of value in the control of noxious insects. “

Letter 46 – Ichneumon

 

Pimpla Instigator?
Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 4:03 PM
We found 5 or 6 of these guys in our house over the past 24 hours. It’s a 6 legged insect with wings and a longish ‘stinger’ tail. I took a picture and found it to have very large ‘eyes’ and long antennae. We’re wondering if this bug is common (we’ve never seen it before) and if we should be worried about it with our pets? Any help would be appreciated!
Jason
Northern Ontario, Canada

Ichneumon, probably subfamily Pimplinae

Ichneumon, probably subfamily Pimplinae

Hi Jason,
While we cannot say for sure that this is Pimpla instigator, we are fairly confident that it is an Ichneumon in the Subfamily Pimplinae. BugGuide does not provide much information on this subfamily, but Ichneumons are parasitic on insects and other arthropods, and will not harm humans or their pets.

Letter 47 – Ichneumon from Australia

 

Subject: What is it?
Location: Southwest Western Australia (Leschenault Inlet)
December 24, 2014 8:12 pm
Hi! I’m trying to determine what type of insect this is. At first glance it looks like a giant mosquito, but then I started researching and thought it could be a crane fly, or maybe a lacewing? No idea, but it’s driving me crazy not knowing!
Signature: Cath

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Cath,
Mistaking this Ichneumon for a Crane Fly is understandable.  Ichneumons are parasitic wasp that comprise one of the largest families of creatures on our planet.  Ichneumons are considered to be harmless to humans, though some species are capable of stinging.

 

Letter 48 – Ichneumon, we believe

 

Subject: Unidentified wasp?
Location: Fannie, Ark.
August 25, 2014 8:57 am
Found and photographed a couple of days ago in Montgomery County, Arkansas. I think its a wasp but would like to know what kind. Thank you.
Signature: Bill Burton

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Bill,
We believe this is a Parasitic Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, a large and diverse family.  According to BugGuide:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  It looks very similar to this image of
Saranaca elegans posted to BugGuide.  According to BugGuide, the larval food is the caterpillar of “Darapsa myron”, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx, and according to the Sphingidae of the Americas, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx is found in Arkansas.  We may be way off base with the species, but we are confident that we have at least gotten the family identification correct.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

 

Letter 49 – Ichneumon from British Columbia

 

Subject: Kids study
Location: Lower Mainland Bc Canada
November 10, 2016 4:36 pm
Hello;
I have a son very interested in learning about animals and bugs and insects. he is always on the look out in my backyard for something new to discover. Today he found a bug I had never seen and we wondered if you could help and identify it for us. I have attached a picture. M
Signature: Tamara

Ichneumon: Possibly Pimpla sanguinipes

Ichneumon: Possibly Pimpla sanguinipes

Dear Tamara,
This is a female Ichneumon Wasp, a parasitoid that preys upon insects and other arthropods and is generally very prey specific.  This is a large family with over 5000 identified species in North America and an additional estimated 3000 species according to BugGuide.  Based on this BugGuide image, also from British Columbia, we suspect it might be
Pimpla sanguinipes.

Letter 50 – Ichneumon, but what species

 

Spider wasp? Fly? What is this? I’m stumped
Location:  Seminole, Oklahoma
August 5, 2010 2:52 pm
I spent about an hour looking through photos of flies and wasps, sawflies and I never found anything that matched this little guy. It was probably about 3/4” long and moved very much like a spider wasp, but did pause for my picture, presumably to figure out what the heck my intentions were. Thanks again!
Amy Goodman

Ichneumon

Hi Amy,
This is a Parasitic Hymenopteran in the superfamily Ichneumonoidea which contains the Ichneumons and Braconids.  As you can see from BugGuide, this is an extensive subfamily.  We browsed the possibilities and we found a very close match with the genus Lanugo on BugGuide.  It does not seem exact, but it is quite close.

Letter 51 – Ichneumon, but which species??? Dolichomitus irritator!!!

 

Subject: it looks like a damselfly
Location: Ottawa Ontario
June 24, 2012 10:54 pm
Ive never seen a damselfly like this before especially with the three prongs from the end. The wings and head really resemble the typical damselfly here in Canada. However from looking through images on this site I dont see it. Can you help me figure out what it is
Signature: Curious

Ichneumon

Dear Curious,
The quality of your photo is poor and the dead creature is missing a head, but we believe this is an Ichneumon, a species of parasitic wasp.  It most resembles the genus
Megarhyssa, however, the coloration is not typical of the species we are familiar with in that genus.  See this photo from BugGuide for a nice view of the three pronged ovipositor of Megarhyssa nortoni.  We hope to get a second opinion from Eric Eaton.  Can you provide any size information?

Eric Eaton provides an identification!!!
Daniel:
Assuming this is from the U.S. or Canada, I would bet on Dolichomitus irritator:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/338540
They get pretty large in their own right.
Eric

Thanks Eric,
That species name “
irritator” is very suggestive.

Letter 52 – Ichneumon, but which species?

 

Subject:  Please tell me what this is
Geographic location of the bug:  NJ
Date: 09/20/2017
Time: 10:01 PM EDT
Hi,
Can you please tell me what this is, and please tell me it isn’t dangerous?
How you want your letter signed:  J25

Ichneumon, we believe

Dear J25,
We believe this is an Ichneumon, but we would not eliminate the possibility that it might be the other family within Ichneumonoidea, Braconidae.  In a quick and unsuccessful attempt to identify it, we searched BugGuide, but a more thorough search will take much more time than we have right now.  We suspect this Ichneumon is the victim of Unnecessary Carnage.

Thanks! So from what I read about the two possibilities below – not dangerous to humans….
That’s what I really needed to know.
I appreciate your help greatly!
Joseph

Letter 53 – Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject: Unknown (to me) bug
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
June 12, 2014 4:21 pm
Hey there,
I was walking in the woods near my house and I came across this bug. I’ve never seen a bug like this before, and I’m curious to find out what it is. A friend of mine suggested that it was a mahogany wasp, but I don’t think this is quite right because the wings are clear, it’s more of a bright red, and the bottom didn’t seem to have a stinger. I hope you’ll be able to tell me what it is, thanks!
Signature: Louisa

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Louisa,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a member of one of the largest insect families on the planet.  Ichneumons are parasitic on other insects and arthropods.

Letter 54 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: we didnt know what this was?
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire, England
November 12, 2013 10:49 am
we found it on a window in college on the 12 of November 2013 and we have no idea what this is,people were afraid because of the sting on it!! but i managed to get a close photo of it please get back soon
Signature: however you prefer

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

This is some species of Parasitic Hymenopteran, most likely an Ichneumon.

Letter 55 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: Found this at home,
Location: Pakefield,England.
April 5, 2014 12:05 am
I saw this little “bug” at home inside our toilet area….it wasn’t till I zoomed in I saw the yellow dots everywhere…
Signature: Doesn’t matter

Ichneumon stramentor

Ichneumon stramentor

Dear Doesn’t matter,
We quickly identified your parasitic Ichneumon Wasp as
Ichneumon stramentor thanks to a photo posted on Parasitica (scroll down), and we confirmed that identification on Paws for Wildlife where we learned:  “Larva – parasitise the Large Yellow Underwing and Setaceous Hebrew Character caterpillars (possibly others).”

Letter 56 – Ichneumon enters home and startles man!!!

 

Subject: Huge Bug on Mirror
Location: Vancouver, BC.
July 1, 2014 5:06 pm
Hi Bugman,
I’m trying to figure out what this is- it was in my friend’s house today and its HUGE! It looks like its some sort of Mantis or something- Any ideas?
Signature: Jonathan

Ichneumon startles residents

Ichneumon startles residents

Hi Jonathan,
The look on your face is quite startled.  This is some species of Ichneumon, a family of Parasitoid Wasps that are not aggressive, though we have occasionally gotten reports from folks who have been stung.  Female Ichneumons lay eggs on or near specific insect or arthropod hosts and the larval Ichneumon feeds on the host insect, eventually killing it.  We are unable to determine the species of Ichneumon that entered your friend’s home.  According to BugGuide, the family Ichneumonidae:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).”

Letter 57 – Ichneumon from Australia

 

Subject: Unknown flying insect Australia
Location: Melbourne, Australia
February 13, 2013 6:31 pm
Hi,
I don’t want to overload you guys with questions, so I hope this second bug in as many days isn’t too much. I used to see these things all over the place in summer, but now they’ve become reasonably rare around here. I tried searching for it on the ’Down Under’ tag, but it doesn’t seem to exist in the first 60 pages.
The females of this insect seem to have massive ovipositors, but that’s about all I know of them, besides a happy affinity to spend all day flying hopelessly against glass windows.
Even if you don’t get around to looking at this, thanks very much for the site — you’ve done a great job with it.
Signature: Thanks, Tasha

Ichneumon

Hi Tasha,
This appears to us to be an Ichneumon, a type of Parasitic Wasp.  Sorry, no time right not for additional research.

Thank you for your fast response. If you do have time at a later point, I would be very interested to know what it’s parasitic to. Otherwise, thank you very much for your time, and I hope things go well for you!
Yours,
Tasha

Hi again Tasha,
Without knowing the species of Ichneumon, it would be impossible to determine the host.  According to the North American website BugGuide, they feed upon:  “a great variety of hosts (mostly immature stages) is used, though most species attack only a few host types; some infest spiders and other non-insect arthropods.”
  Some common host insects include caterpillars, beetles and the larvae of wood boring wasps.

Thank you again,
Now that I know what to look for, I think it’s the Orange Caterpillar Parasite — Netelia Producta. It seems most prevalent in Queensland (which is probably why trawling for ‘orange wasp Victoria’ didn’t help), but it appears it can come this far south, after I found record of a few sightings of it in Melbourne.
Have a wonderful time, and keep up the great work on the site,
Tasha.

Letter 58 – Ichneumon from Austria

 

Subject: Beautiful nightly visitor
Location: Austria
May 23, 2012 5:12 pm
Dear Bugman,
I’ve just been visited by one of the most beautiful insects I have ever seen and wanted to ask you if you could identify my nightly guest?
One strange thing I noticed is it had what seemed like three extra eyes on the top of its head right between the two big eyes, on the base of its antennas.
A pretty exciting sight, I don’t see such exotic looking insects around here very often.
Greetings from Austria,
Michael
Signature: Michael

Ichneumon

Hi Michael,
We really enjoy getting requests from people who think insects are beautiful that other folks might find repulsive.  This Ichneumon is a parasitic wasp that preys upon other insects and arthropods.  The female lays her eggs within the host by using an ovipositor.  Some wasps have evolved so that the ovipositor has adapted into a stinger and many Ichneumons have very long ovipositors.  A group of North American Ichneumons in the genus
Megarhyssa can have ovipositors as long as five inches in length and they are known as Stump Stabbers since the female uses her ovipositor to lay her eggs in wood that is infested with wood boring insects.

Letter 59 – Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject: What is this pretty bug?
Location: Toronto, Ontario
July 9, 2017 4:43 pm
I found this pretty bug flying around my bush and I don’t recall ever seeing one before. It’s purplish wings were really pretty in the sunlight. Could you please identify it for me?
Signature: Caitlin

Ichneumon: Trogus pennator

Dear Caitlin,
The long antennae on this magnificent wasp caused us to correctly speculate it must be an Ichneumon, and we quickly identified it on BugGuide as
Trogus pennator.  According to BugGuide:  “Trogus pennator is a parasitoid of swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae), ovipositing in the caterpillars.  The solitary larva develops inside the caterpillar, allowing it to pupate before killing it. After metamorphosing, the adult wasp chews an irregular hole in the chrysalis to escape.”

Ichneumon: Trogus pennator

Letter 60 – Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject:  Flying beetle????
Geographic location of the bug:  Cochrane, Alberta Canada
Date: 10/24/2019
Time: 03:56 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Saw this walking along our window (inside)
How you want your letter signed:  Tracey

Ichneumon

Dear Tracey,
Those antennae lead us to believe that this is some species of Ichneumon, a family of parasitoid Wasps whose larvae feed on the internal organs of host-specific Arachnids and immature insects including Caterpillars, Beetle grubs and larvae of wood boring Wasps.  This is an enormous family with according to BugGuide:  “~5,000 described spp. in almost 500 genera in the Nearctic Region, possibly 3,000 more undescribed.”  We doubt it is your species because it is not reported as far north or west, but your individual does resemble 
Limonethe maurator which is pictured on BugGuide.

Letter 61 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: Bugs
Location: Poole England
September 18, 2012 11:41 am
This was found in back garden yesterday – what is it please?
Signature: JPB

Ichneumon

Dear JPB,
This is an Ichneumon Wasp, but our initial search did not turn up any matching images online.  Ichneumons are a large family of wasps that are parasitic on other arthropods, and each species of Ichneumon is generally very specific about its prey.  Ichneumons can be very difficult to identify to the species level.  Though this is not your species, you might enjoy reading this account on the Sutton Park Natural History website.

Letter 62 – Ichneumon from England

 

Subject: Orange big with glass like wings??
Location: England
September 8, 2015 4:58 am
Hiya,
I found this bug in my bathroom today and thought it was just so pretty! I wish i just knew what it was… any ideas?
Signature: From tegan xx

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear tegan xx,
This is an Ichneumon, a type of parasitic wasp.  Many species are attracted to lights, which is why we suspect it was found in your bathroom.  Your individual reminds us of
Ophion obscuratus which is pictured on iSpot.

Letter 63 – Ichneumon from New Zealand

 


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.

Letter 64 – Ichneumon from Portugal

 

Subject:  What´s that bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Portugal
Date: 12/16/2017
Time: 10:31 AM EDT
Can you please help on identify this bug ?
How you want your letter signed:  Pedro Santos

Ichneumon

Dear Pedro,
This is a parasitoid Ichneumon and it looks similar to
Ophion luteus which is pictured on Wildscreen Arkive.  We are postdating your submission to go live to our site later in the month while we are away from the office for the holidays.

Letter 65 – Ichneumon from Scotland

 

wasp photo
Hi there
I have been through your wood wasp shots but couldn’t find anything like this one. My parents found it beside their pile of firewood logs. It is about an inch long (2.5cm) and the ovipositor is a bit longer than the body. We have never seen anything like it. Some of the logs had 4mm bore holes in them.
Regards
Peter
Falkirk
Scotland

Hi Peter,
Ichneumons are wasp relatives, but have their own page on our site. This looks very similar to our American Megarhyssa species, but we cannot conclusively say that is the correct genus without more research. Female oviposits deep in rotting wood where larvae feed on wood boring insects.

Letter 66 – Ichneumon from Scotland

 

Subject: The Bingo Bug
Location: Scotland
October 10, 2012 6:41 pm
I found this wee creature hanging on the wall in my workplace, a bingo club. I’ve never seen anything like it at work, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it at all! Can you help me and my colleagues find out what it is?
Many thanks,
Becky
Signature: Any way you’d like.

Ichneumon

Dear Any way you’d like,
This is an Ichneumon parasitoid wasp.
  According to the Cornell University Department of Entomology Biological Control website:  “Insect parasitoids have an immature life stage that develops on or within a single insect host, ultimately killing the host, hence the value of parasitoids as natural enemies. Adult parasitoids are free-living and may be predaceous. Parasitoids are often called parasites, but the term parasitoid is more technically correct. Most beneficial insect parasitoids are wasps or flies, although some rove beetles (see Predators) and other insects may have life stages that are parasitoids.  Most insect parasitoids only attack a particular life stage of one or several related species. The immature parasitoid develops on or within a pest, feeding on body fluids and organs, eventually leaving the host to pupate or emerging as an adult. The life cycle of the pest and parasitoid can coincide, or that of the pest may be altered by the parasitoid to accommodate its development.  The life cycle and reproductive habits of beneficial parasitoids can be complex. In some species, only one parasitoid will develop in or on each pest while, in others, hundreds of young larvae may develop within the pest host. Overwintering habits may also vary. Female parasitoids may also kill many pests by direct feeding on the pest eggs and immatures.”

Letter 67 – Ichneumon from UK

 

Subject:  Is this a type of Hornet?
Geographic location of the bug:  Bury lancashire
Date: 06/18/2019
Time: 12:55 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found this little hitch hiker on my car today. Im facinated to know if it is a Hornet.
How you want your letter signed:  The bug man

Ichneumon might be Amblyteles armatorius

This is not a Hornet, but it is a Parasitoid Wasp known as an Ichneumon.  There are so many species that look similar, an exact species identification might not be possible, but it does resemble Amblyteles armatorius which is pictured on UK Safari where it states:  “Ichneumon wasps are solitary insects which are closely related to bees and ants. Most ichneumons are parasitoids.  The females lay their eggs into, or onto, the young of other insects and spiders, and the young which hatch out feed on that host insect.  The host is eventually killed and consumed by the larva just before it pupates.”  There are additional images on Nature Spot.

Letter 3 – Sabre Wasp: Giant Ichneumon from UK

 

what is this?
Location:  Aberdeen, United Kingdom
September 15, 2010 8:57 am
hi there, found this bug on the ground in aberdeen, uk. found outside a university. can you help identify it?
Signature:  Lewis

Sabre Wasp

Dear Louis,
This is an Ichneumon, a Parasitic Hymenopteran that is classified with bees and wasps.  In North America, similar looking Giant Ichneumons in the genus Megarhyssa prey upon the Pigeon Horntail, a species of Wood Wasp whose larvae are found feeding on dead or dying wood.  The female Ichneumon, and your specimen is a female, can be identified by her long stingerlike ovipositor which she uses to deposit her eggs in wood that is infested with the larvae of the Pigeon Horntail.  Our hypothesis is that the UK specimen you have photographed may have a similar Wood Wasp host in Europe, but without successfully identifying the species of your Ichneumon, we cannot be certain.  We found a BBC Science and Nature page that indicates that
Rhyssa persuasoria, commonly called a Sabre Wasp, is the largest Ichneumon “fly” in Britain, and it is described as:  “Giant ichneumons have slender bodies, with a wasp waist, and long, flexible antennae. The apparently fearsome-looking sting at the end of the female wasp’s abdomen is actually an ovipositor (egg-laying instrument). This is protected within a sheath. This species has a black body with pale yellow/white markings on the abdominal segments. The legs are orange.”  Alas, there is no image, but the written description appears to fit your photograph.  Before leaving the BBC Science and Nature Page, we decided that the behavior description also needed to be included here:  “Ichneumons are parasites that lay their eggs in or on the larvae of other insects or spiders. The hosts of giant ichneumons are usually the larvae of horntails, or wood wasps (Orocerus gigas), and related species, as well as the larvae of longhorn beetles (Monochamus sutor). The female looks for hosts, which live within fallen timber. She may detect them through the smell of their droppings, which are then contaminated by fungi, or by sensing their vibrations within the wood. However she does it, the accuracy with which she locates them is remarkable. When she finds the right spot, she drives her slender ovipositor into the wood (which can be inches thick) by rotating the two halves backwards and forwards very rapidly. She lays one egg next to or on the host larvae. The whole process takes about 20-40 minutes. When the fly larvae hatches it feeds externally on the host. It overwinters and pupates in the spring before emerging from the wood. Giant ichneumons sometimes emerge in houses from furniture made from new timber. The adults are active from July-August.”  We found an image of a female depositing her eggs on the Insect Images website, and there is a strong resemblance to your specimen.  The Offwell Woodland & Wildlife Trust website has a nice photo and description.  Though the markings on your individual are not as pronounced, we are confident it is at least in the genus Rhyssa.

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Where Do Ichneumon Wasp Live? Truth Revealed

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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. 

 

Where Do Ichneumon Wasp Live

 

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.

 

Where Do Ichneumon Wasp Live

 

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.

 

Reader Mail

Please find below emails from readers over the years on this topic.

Letter 1 – Ichneumon, not Crane Fly

 

Subject:  Crane fly? Wasp?
Geographic location of the bug:  Pittsburgh, PA
Date: 10/03/2018
Time: 11:54 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Thought it was a crane fly, but most images I could find did not show crane fly with curled antennae.
How you want your letter signed:  Stacy

Ichneumon

Dear Stacy,
This is an Ichneumon, a parasitoid wasp, not a Crane Fly.  We suspect that many reported Crane Fly stings are actually from Ichneumons.

Letter 2 – Ichneumon or Braconid???

 

Subject:  Stumpstabber – Megarhyssa sp.
Geographic location of the bug:  Sierra Nevada range route 88
Date: 06/23/2020
Time: 01:40 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  My friend took this pic and because she knows my love of all things “bug” asked if I could find out anything about it.  Been doing some poking around and the  closest I could find was family Ichneunonidae Megarhyssa nortoni.  It’s quite striking in coloration.  Just wanted to share because I haven’t found a photo anywhere that matches
How you want your letter signed:  Terriann

Parasitic Wasp

Dear Terriann,
This is definitely a member of the superfamily Ichneumonoidea that includes the family Braconidae as well as the Ichneumon, and we believe this might be a Braconid, possibly in the genus
Atanycolus that is represented on BugGuide.  A definitive identification might not be possible as this is a huge superfamily with many unidentified members.  According to BugGuide:  “Next to impossible to identify this genus from images alone, however it is one of the more common genera in the subfamily. Identification of images on this guide page are NOT absolute! “

Letter 3 – Crown of Thorns Wasp

 

non-Pelecinid?
Location:  near Casper, WY
August 2, 2010 3:22 pm
Hi Lisa Anne and Daniel,
When I photographed this creature on goldenrod 8/1/10, I thought I was looking at a Pelecinid. Now I don’t think so, I have no idea what it is. Can you identify it?
Am looking forward to your book.
Thanks much,
Dwaine

Crown of Thorns Wasp

Hi Dwaine,
This is a new one for us.  You are correct that it is NOT a Pelecinid.  Our initial impulse was perhaps an Ichneumon, but the antennae and other morphological features are just plain wrong, but we were certain, based on that ovipositor, that it must be a parasitic Hymenopteran.  We quickly located the Crown of Thorns Wasp,
Megischus bicolor, within the family Stephanidae on BugGuide which indicates they are “Parasitoids of beetles and/or wasps.

Letter 4 – Ichneumon Ovipositing

 

ichneumon photos
on dead pin oak in SE Pennsylvania
Peter

Hi Peter,
Thanks for sending your photo of a female Megarhyssa macrurus ovipositing.

Letter 5 – Ichneumon Cocoon found on Woody Plant in Mount Washington

 

Subject:  What kind of cocoon did I find on my Cannabis plant?
Geographic location of the bug:  Mount Washington, Los Angeles, California
Date: 06/02/2019
Time: 5:55 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Dear Bugman.
My plants are growing taller and I have seen some tiny California Mantids and young Green Lynx Spiders prowling for prey.  It is funny how I watched the same predators on my plants last year.   There are also numerous immature hopping insects I know are not beneficial to my plants, so I have been squashing them instead of taking their picture, but today I found this very interesting cocoon thing on the leaf of a girl that grew from a seed that came from a Grand Daddy Purple X Blueberry Haze plant I grew last year.  Sorry, but I removed it before taking a photo, so I made a dramatic recreation of the way I found it on the underside of a leaf.  I hope you enjoy my still life.  Please tell me what it is.  I really want to know What’s That Bug?
How you want your letter signed:  Constant Gardener

Ichneumon Pupa

Dear Constant Gardener,
This is a very exciting posting for us.  We instantly recognized this Ichneumon cocoon in the genus
Charops from identification requests we have received from Taiwan and from South Africa.  Ichneumon Wasps are parasitoids, meaning the female wasp lays eggs on a larval host, and the larva that hatches then feeds on the internal organs of a host insect or arthropod, eventually killing the host as the larva nears maturity.  According to BugGuide:  “Known hosts include Tarachidia erastrioides (Grenee) and the green clover worm, Plathypena scabra (Fabricius), both noctuids. (Anonymous 1974)”.  You might need to add Ichneumon Wasps from the genus Charops to the list of patrolling predators in your garden.

Pupa of a Charops Ichneumon Wasp

Letter 6 – Ichneumon: Rhyssa lineolata

 

Subject: What is this
Location: Winnipeg mb canada
June 5, 2015 4:41 pm
What is this thing I accidentally stepped on
Signature: Kayla

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Kayla,
This very distinctly marked parasitic Ichneumon is
Rhyssa lineolata, which you can verify on BugGuide.  We wonder how many times you are going to refer to the dictionary with this information on the feeding habits that are posted on BugGuide:  “idiobiont ectoparasitoids of the immature wood-boring endopterygote insects, in our area usually larval woodwasps (Siricidae and Xiphydriidae), but may also develop as facultative hyperparasitoids using other woodwasp parasitoids as hosts or on virtually any endopterygote (some have even been cultured in the laboratory on entirely unnatural surrogate hosts).” 

Letter 7 – Ichneumons

 

Dear Bugman:
I live in the San Francisco Bay area of Northern California, and for the last week or two we have had a new kind of bug flying in large numbers around our house. I’ve included some pictures of them so that you know what they look like (I apologize if the size of the e-mail causes any problems for you.) At first we thought they were just mosquito hawks, but on further examination they are much uglier. They are nocturnal and attracted to light, and we have perhaps a dozen a night or more swarming around our outside lights, and usually a few that get inside the house. They are about an inch to an inch and a half in length, and are one of the more disturbing bugs I’ve seen. They don’t seem to match up with any of the pictures I found of termites or flying ants, but I really want to know if they are since that would be a big problem for the house! At about the same time these bugs appeared, there also have cropped up a couple of spots on the lawn where the dirt looks almost bubbly – I have no idea if that’s related, but I thought it may be some kind of nest. Please let me know what kind of bug this is so I can stop worrying or get rid of them, whichever is appropriate.
Thank you very much.
Helga

Dear Helga,
Seldom do we get such a concise description accompanied by such wonderful documentation. There is no speculation regarding my identification. You have a species of Ichneumon wasp, Family Ichneumonidae. These are small solitary wasps which have smaller and slenderer bodies and legs than social and semi-social types. The abdomen is compressed from side to side. Some species are as small as gnats, and the larger ones are up to an inch in length. The specimen you photographed belongs to the genus Ophion. All Ichneumons are parasitic on other insects, and many feed on caterpillars. According to Hogue, "The eggs are inserted into the body of the host by means of the females short sharp ovipositor (which incidentally can penetrate human skin). The larvae feed on the internal tissues and, when mature, pupate within the host." They are important biological controls for many agricultural pests. Your possible nest is obviously something else. The adults are often attracted to lights at night.

Thank you very much. Now I can stop worrying. 🙂
Helga

Letter 8 – Ichneumons

 

I was outside this morning at about 8:00 am. I live in West Virginia. I happened to look at the corner o my house near where my gas meter is and saw a real strange bug sitting on the wall. It was very dark blue or black had a body that was about 1.5 to 2 inshes long ( approx) . Had wings that were about an 1.5 or so. Had a curved body. It also had this stinger or something ( not sure what to call it. That was about 1/32 inch in diameter and about 5 or 6 inches long. I watched it for a minutes and it flew off. It was so large that i could see it 50 feet away in the air. Do you have any idea on what it was or where i can find information on flying insects? any help will be great.
Big Bad Bob

Dear Bob,
Let me commend you on your excellent verbal description. I believe it is a female Ichneumon Wasp, probably Megarhyssa atrata. She uses that long ovipositor to deposit her eggs deep into wood where the young search out and devour wood eating grubs. Very specialized development that would interest all Darwinians.

Letter 9 – Ichneumons

 

I work at a garden store in South-eastern Wisconsin, and recently I caught some type of what I think is a wasp, ITs all black exept for yellow legs, its abdoman is very narrow at first and strechtes into somthing similar to a mud wasp exept it is much bigger. The strangest thing about this insect is it has thrre "tails" or entenas coming directly out of the stinger withc are aproxemiely 5" long. I am stumped, what kind of wasp is this?

Probably a female Ichneumon Wasp, Megarhyssa atrata.

Letter 10 – “Off With Their Heads” Ichneumons

 

Subject: What the … Is this?
Location: Maryland USA
May 24, 2016 7:54 pm
I’ve seen wasps and crane flies. This seems to be closer to a wasp. When I tried to be sparing and set it free it attempted to sting me numerous times while not being able to break the skin it seems. It got back inside and brought family ( see photo 2) there does seem to be a stinger on them. I did in fact kill them both. Only get one shot in my house unless your a spider, then you get none. Anyways, do you have any idea of what this is? If you have some photo reference if greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
Signature: Chris Joy

Ichneumons

Ichneumons

Dear Chris,
We are very curious about your mini-guillotine, because we cannot fathom how you have managed to kill these two Ichneumon Wasps by removing their heads but otherwise leaving their bodies intact.  Most wasps in the family Ichneumonidae, probably the largest family on earth with the most individual species, are perfectly harmless, but members of the subfamily Ophioninae is capable of stinging.  According to BugGuide:  “Females have a very compressed abdomen and a short, very sharp ovipositor. The ovipositor can penetrate the human skin; most other ichneumons can’t ‘sting’.”  BugGuide also notes:  “Most species are crepuscular or nocturnal, some diurnal. They are known to come to lights.”  These Ichnuemons are solitary, and they did not conspire together to enter your home.  We suspect they were attracted to lights.  When folks write to us about stinging Crane Flies, we suspect they have confused them with members of this subfamily.

Dear Daniel,
I appreciate your response. That was what I suspected them to be. As far as mini guillotine, well the answer there is just an old fashion credit card and hitting them before they could fly away that simple. But thank you for answering my question I know you all are busy and I’m glad you had the time to respond.
VR
Chris

Letter 11 – Ichneumons from Italy

 

Subject:  Flies
Geographic location of the bug:  Italy (Rome)
Date: 03/05/2019
Time: 05:42 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hi bugman! Upon return from a week out, we found a lot of these ‘flies’ dead around the house, mostly in the bathroom. We had left a basket with walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts in the living room, so that might have attracted them? Not sure.
Anyway, are you able to identify them?
Thanks as always!
How you want your letter signed:  Saverio

Ichneumons, we believe

Dear Saverio,
These are not Flies.  They are Hymenopterans, the insect order that includes Bees and Wasps.  They appear to be parasitoid Ichneumons, a group of solitary wasps that parasitize their prey.  The Ichneumon larva develops inside the body of the prey, feeding on its internal organs until the host dies, at which time the Ichneumon larva pupates, eventually emerging as winged adults.  We suspect your sighting is related to an emergence while you were away.  This occurrence might be related to the basket of nuts, but we are not convinced.  How large were these Ichneumons?  Exact species identification might not be possible.  According to the North American site BugGuide:  “arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates” and many species are undescribed.

Letter 12 – Ichneumons from UK

 

Subject: What is this bug?
Location: Hatfield Forest UK
February 19, 2017 9:56 am
Good evening
We saw these bugs under tree bark of felled tree in Hatfield forest.
Do you know what it is please?
Thank you
Signature: Claire

Ichneumons

Dear Claire,
Though your image lacks critical detail, we are relatively confident these are parasitoid Ichneumon Wasps.  Some species feed on wood boring insects, which may explain their presence under the bark of a felled tree.  This images from Nature Spot of
Achaius oratorius look similar.  Ichneumon stramentor, also on Nature Spot, looks like an even better match.  According to Nature Spot:  ” The larva parasitise the Large Yellow Underwing and Setaceous Hebrew Character moth caterpillars (possibly others), the adult wasp lays its eggs inside the caterpillar, the developing larva then eats it from the inside.”  You can also find some interesting information on Paul’s Back Garden Safari.

Ichneumon

 

Letter 13 – Ichneumon species

 

A huge gorgeous bug
Here is a picture of a two-inch wingspan bug I ushered out of my house
in Mid-Maryland last night. Any clues?

This is a female Ichneumon. We are not sure of the species.

Letter 14 – Ichneumon Stalks Caterpillar

 

Subject: Red mystery wasp
Location: near Ottawa, Ontario
July 18, 2016 3:43 pm
What is this beautiful little insect? I’m guessing some sort of wasp, maybe a parasitic wasp? I photographed it last week along Cedar Grove Nature Trail near Ottawa, where I see many fascinating tiny insects I can’t identify!
Signature: Suzanne

Ichneumon Stalks Caterpillar

Ichneumon Stalks Caterpillar

Dear Suzanne,
This is an amazing image.  We suspect that the Ichneumon Wasp, which you speculated correctly is a parasitoid, is stalking the Caterpillar.  Caterpillars are a common host to many species of Ichneumons.  Ichneumons are often very host specific, frequently limiting their prey to a single genus, or even a single species.  We are probably not even going to attempt to identify this Ichneumon beyond the family level as according to BugGuide, there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed”  The caterpillar may be an Inchworm in the family Geometridae.

Letter 15 – Ichneumon from UK

 

Subject: Insect Identification
Location: South East UK
October 20, 2014 10:54 am
Afternoon,
Found the attached against my curtains this evening
I literally have no idea what it is or what it could be and have been searching images for the last hour trying to find out
Wondering if you could let me know what it is and if it is native to the uk? i have never seen anything like this and i have lived here all my life (some 27 years)
Signature: Thank you in advance

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

This is some species of Ichneumon, a member of a family of parasitic wasps.  Ichneumons prey upon many agricultural pests and most Ichneumons are very host specific, preying upon a single species or genus, though some prey upon entire families of insects and arthropods.  Ichnuemons are a highly diverse family with many members, and we cannot say for certain if you have a native species.  Ichneumons are sometimes introduced to prey upon other introduced pests.

Letter 16 – Ichneumon Wasp

 


Hi. I wonder if you could let me know what these are, I live in the UK, and have looked up several books and Web sites but can’t seem to find them.
Thanks
Eric

Hi Eric,
It is a species of Ichneumon Wasp. They usually parasitize caterpillars among other insects

Letter 17 – Ichneumon Wasp

 

Lovely…but what is it?
Location: Maryland
April 3, 2012 1:02 pm
This one has me stumped. I’ve checked my Audubon guide and typed the description into search engines…so far, nothing that is an exact match. Location: Maryland.
Signature: Barbara Thurlow

Ichneumon Wasp

Dear Barbara,
This truly is a gorgeous photo of a beautiful parasitic Hymenopteran.  We were pretty certain it is classified as an Ichneumon Wasp, and upon browsing BugGuide thoroughly, we believe we have found a match in an unidentified species in the genus
Melanichneumon.  This unidentified species of a male Ichneumon posted to BugGuide also looks similar, but it is only identified to the subfamily level.

Letter 18 – Ichneumon, we believe

 

Subject: Small Parasitic Wasp
Location: Rose Hill, CA
October 3, 2012 9:24 pm
Dear Bugman,
I just found this little miss as I was cleaning up my kitchen. I only know she is a wasp but I have no idea what kind. She is approximately 1/2” long excluding her antennae.
Signature: joAnn

Ichneumon

Hi joAnn,
Your photos are of excellent quality, however, we do not believe we have the necessary skills to provide you with a species identification.  We agree that this is a parasitic wasp, most likely an Ichneumon.  According to BugGuide, the family contains:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates(3).)”

Ichneumon

Good morning Daniel,
Thank you for that identification!
In looking at the images on BugGuide as well as others on the internet I agree on Ichneumon. Ironically as a kid that was one of my favorite insects to name out of one of my insect books yet I never realized that they came in such a diminutive size. I have a whole new found fascination for last nights house guest.
Best,
joAnn

Letter 19 – Ichneumon we believe

 

Subject: Wasp mimic?
Location: Columbus, OH
March 27, 2017 7:41 am
Hello! This insect landed on me and I cannot for the life of me figure out what it is (my best guess is some sort of sawfly). This picture was taken on March 25th in central Ohio in an urban enviornment–I was actually about to get in my car when it was spotted. The weather was sunny and in the 70’s. I am especially perplexed by the super long antenna and the fact that the colored bands on the abdomen do not wrap all the way around. Thanks!
Signature: Intrigued

Ichneumon we believe

Dear Intrigued,
We are posting prior to doing any research as we are rushed right now, but we believe this is an Ichneumon, a member of a very large family of Parasitic Wasps, that are often recognized by long antennae.  Here is a similar looking Ichneumon in the genus
Banchus from BugGuide.

Ichneumon


Letter 20 – Ichneumon, we believe

 

Subject:  What is this flying bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Sacramento California
Date: 11/05/2018
Time: 10:50 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  This was buzzing at me fairly large dont know what it is.
How you want your letter signed:  Weirdbug

Ichneumon, we believe

Dear Weirdbug,
This sure looks like an Ichneumon to us, or some other parasitoid wasp, but we have not had any luck with a definitive identity.  We wish there was more detail in your image.  Ichneumons are parasitoid Wasps that are considered important biological control agents for caterpillars and other insects.  According to BugGuide:  “a great variety of hosts (mostly immature stages) is used, though most species attack only a few host types; some infest spiders and other non-insect arthropods.”   The wing veination on your individual appears very similar to the drawing on Le Monde des Insectes.

 

Letter 21 – Irish Ichneumon

 


Hi,
I found this bug on my kitchen window, had to take a photo as i have never seen one like it before. I live in Belfast N.Ireland and curious to know if this is a local insect or unknown to Ireland.
Many thanks
Una.

Hi Una,
This is some species of Ichneumon. If it was from the U.S. I would say it was the genus Megarhyssa. It might be. At any rate, it is one of the Ichneumons.

Letter 22 – Male Ichneumon

 

can u tell me what this is
i found this guy in a casino out side of chicago
stephon young
chicago il

Hi Stephon,
We believe this is a male Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa. We usually get photos of the females with their extremely long ovipositors. We will check with Eric Eaton to get a second opinion.

Letter 23 – Male Ichneumon

 

Subject:  need help identifying this wasp
Geographic location of the bug:  Occoquan NWR, Occoquan Virginia
Date: 09/22/2018
Time: 08:33 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Once more I must ask for you excellent help. I cannot seem to find what species this attractive wasp is in any of my usual resources (including your wonderful site, of course!) Thanks very much in advance.
How you want your letter signed:  Seth

Male Ichneumon: Lymeon orbus possibly

Dear Seth,
This is a parasitoid wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, and according to BugGuide:  “~5,000 described spp. in almost 500 genera in the Nearctic Region, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.  Those numbers mean that species identifications can be very challenging. Your individual looks very similar to
Lymeon orbus based on this BugGuide image, but your individual lacks an ovipositor, making it a male, and your individual has a black band on the hind leg lacking in the images we have located of Lymeon orbus.  So, we are certain that this is an Ichneumon Wasp, we are nearly certain it is a male, and beyond that, we need to defer to real experts.  If you find any closer visual matches, please let us know.

Letter 24 – Male Ichneumon, we believe

 

Subject: Sawflies
Location: Southwest MI, USA
October 18, 2013 4:08 pm
Happened to see this fellow on a marigold. Had never seen one before but after looking online, my best guess it is some sort of sawfly. Can you identify it for me?
Signature: d.k. dodge

Possibly Male Ichneumon

Possibly Male Ichneumon

Hi d.k. dodge,
We believe this is a male Ichneumon, and that family, according to BugGuide, contains:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed(2); arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates.”  We have contacted Eric Eaton for confirmation.

Eric Eaton confirms
Yes, an ichneumon.  Not sure what gender, though.  Not all female ichneumons have a visible ovipositor.
Eric

Thank you.  The body type would be consistent with many ichneumons, so I’m not surprised.  I anxiously await more confirmation.

Letter 25 – Newly emerged Ichneumon

 

Subject:  Ichneumon
Geographic location of the bug:  Campbell, Ohio
Date: 08/02/2021
Time: 8:46 AM EDT
Gentle Readers,
Daniel has been taking many images of interesting creatures using his magicphone (his first cellular telephone ever which he has had for the past year) because the iPhone pro has a marvelous camera.  Last week one morning while enjoying coffee in the garden, Daniel spotted this parasitic wasp, presumably an Ichneumon, preening on the tip of a blade of grass, so he picked the blade of grass to get a better look.  He realized by the preening he observed that this was probably a newly emerged wasp that had not yet flown.  It seemed it was checking out its new sensory organs, the antennae, and Daniel observed for about a half an hour before it finally flew off.  Ichneumon Wasps and their relatives the Braconids and the Chalcids are all interesting parasitic wasps that often prey on a single species.

Ichneumon

 

Letter 26 – Parasitic Hymenopteran (Ichneumon or Braconid?) from Germany

 

Wasp? Horntail? in Thuringen Germany
Location: Central Germany
November 15, 2011 6:51 pm
I took this photo with a 100mm Macro in Heilbad-Heilegnstadt Thuringen, Germany.
It measured less than 1/2 inch, as you can see from the veins of the leaf.
I have tried to identify it to no avail.
Please help
Signature: Laurel R.

Parasitic Hymenopteran

Hi Laurel,
This is a Parasitic Hymenopteran, most likely an Ichneumon, but possibly a Braconid.  She is a female and the stingerlike ovipositor is used to lay eggs inside the host, generally an insect.  Ichneumons and Braconids are important biological control agents that are usually very host specific.  We rarely attempt to identify most Ichneumons and Braconids to the species level as it is a task best left to specialists.

Thank you Daniel! I searched and searched to id that little wasp, even with your further information I could not find
a photo of it.
I live in Nyack, New York about 20 miles north of New York City. I have been writing about the insects in my garden
daily since July. The variety of species is amazing!
The photos are from my recent trip to visit my son in Thuringen.
Sincerely,
Laurel Robertson

Letter 27 – Unknown Ichneumon

 

Subject: What Kind of Bug is this?
Location: Suburbs of Chicago
May 27, 2016 6:01 pm
I am a student photographer and as an assignment I am to photograph nature and then explain my pictures. I took about 100 pictures (manual and automatic, color and black and white). After looking online no one in my family can identify this bug. It seems to not be using its 5th and 6th legs and it isn’t flying, maybe a wing is broken.
Signature: Autumn

Braconid, we believe

Unknown Ichneumon

Dear Autumn,
We do not yet have a species identification, but we have determined that your parasitic Wasp must be in the superfamily Ichneumonoidea, which according to BugGuide has only two families, the Braconids and the Ichneumons.  Our money was originally on this being a female Braconid, but our browsing through both families on BugGuide did not produce species that even looks similar.  We are posting your request as Unidentified and we hope it does not remain so tagged for long.

Ichneumon, possibly

Unknown Ichneumon

Eric Eaton Responds
Hi, Daniel:
Definitely an ichneumon, and pretty, but I have no idea which one.  Sorry!
Eric

Letter 28 – Parasitic Wasp: Ichneumon Species

 

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.

Letter 29 – Possibly Ichneumon from Alaska

 

Subject:  Insect That has Taken South Central Alaska by Storm
Geographic location of the bug:  Anchorage Alaska
Date: 09/19/2021
Time: 12:20 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I am looking to ID this insect. They seem to be appearing everywhere over the last two weeks in Anchorage AK. This particular specimen may have a missing leg, but most do not. It seems similar to wood wasps I have seen before, but is smaller at ~1” long. Thanks for the help!
How you want your letter signed:  Scott P

Ichneumon we believe

Dear Scott,
We believe this is an Ichneumon, a parasitoid wasp, or possibly a Braconid, also a parasitoid wasp, and both are in the superfamily Ichneumonoidea, which is according to BugGuide:  “A very biodiverse and important group. Many are valuable biocontrol agents that control populations of agricultural and forest pest insects. Wasplike in appearance, but (with rare exceptions) do not sting. “

Letter 30 – Probably Ichneumon from Canada

 

Subject:  Red-yellow-black winged ant?
Geographic location of the bug:  Ottawa, Ontario
Date: 10/13/2017
Time: 01:01 PM EDT
Hi, Bugman! It’s starting to get cold out and I’ve been seeing occasional coniferous seed bugs around inside, but today I found this striking creature. What beautiful colours she has! Despite the distinct pattern and yellow mark on her back, I’m not sure what she is. Not like the paper wasps I’ve seen. Some sort of wasp or flying ant (because of the way the wings sit)? She wasn’t hostile but flew back to the windowsill when I attempted to move with a paper.
How you want your letter signed:  With a casual interest in entomology, Dannie

Ichneumon, we believe

Dear Dannie,
We believe this is a parasitoid Ichneumon, a relative of bees and wasps.  According to BugGuide:  “They vary greatly in size and color; many are uniformly colored, from yellowish to black and others are brightly patterned with black and brown or black and yellow; many have middle segments of antennae yellowish or whitish.  The majority resemble slender wasps but differ from the stinging wasps (Scolioidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea) in having longer antennae with more segments (usually at least 16). Many have long ovipositors, often longer than the body.  Ichneumonids are notoriously hard to identify: aside from the sheer number of species, there are numerous cases of distant relatives that appear almost identical. Any identification based solely on comparing images should be treated as suspect unless an expert has said there are no lookalikes for the species or group in question.”

Letter 31 – Ichneumon from Australia

 

What the hell is this?
Location: Adelaide, Australia
November 19, 2010 12:01 am
I’m thinking a wasp of some kind, but I cant find anything about it on the internet. Picture is kinda poor, but best I could get. It is rather big for an insect. Long, slender, black body. Big wings. Two long things that look like stingers. Very long antennae. Lets off a very strong and strange smell when threatened. Very loud when flying around. Body is extremely hard, extremely difficult to kill. Seriously, I squashed this thing last night and come back to it today and it is still moving. I find one or two of these things in my house about every six months or so.
Signature: Scott

Ichneumon we believe

Dear Scott,
Your photo is quite blurry, so we cannot be certain, but we believe this is some species of Ichneumon, a group of insects in the order that includes wasps and bees.  Ichneumons are parasitoids and the female lays her eggs on or near the prey.  Larval Ichneumons are internal parasites that eventually kill the prey.  Many Ichneumons prey upon caterpillars, but depending upon the species, they have a wide variety of insect and spider hosts.  Ichneumons do not pose a danger to humans.  We could not find a close match on the Insects of Brisbane website Ichneumon page, but the antennae on your specimen are a primary factor in our tentative identification.

Karl provides another identification
Hi Daniel and Scott:
It looks like a Cream-spotted Ichneumon (Echthromorpha intricatoria). The species is found all over Australia and has been introduced to New Zealand, where it is known as the Whitespotted Ichneumon. The larvae are parasitic on the pupae of a variety of butterflies and moths. Regards.  Karl

Letter 32 – Striped Ichneumon: Unnecessary Carnage in Wisconsin

 

Subject: As coined by a commenter – a Nope Striped Nopey Nope Nope
Location: South Eastern Wisconsin
August 7, 2015 7:03 am
Good Morning!
First off, thank you for providing such a valuable resource for us “what in the heck is this thing”ers; it has helped solve more than a few similar situations and I continue to direct people here when they have bug identification questions (and to donate).
This morning a friend of mine posted the attached pictures (apologies for the blurriness) asking for help. At first glance it was assumed to be a black and yellow mud dauber, but the abdomen seems to be much too large (as well as striped). I had attempted (in vain) to identify what the forked end on the abdomen was as well, but looking at it now I think it may just be other parts (legs?) that are folded under the body. Also, the fat thorax (much larger than I’m accustomed to around here) throws me for a loop. The segmentation just doesn’t seem right for a wasp.
Sadly, this little guy (gal?) said hi to individuals who were less than hospitable and was swatted down in their prime.
Thanks for your help in advance!
Signature: Matthew

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Matthew,
Based on the long antennae, we decided to begin our searching among the parasitic wasps known as Ichneumons, and we quickly found a similar looking individual identified as
Setanta compta on the Nature Search site, but the striping on that individual goes to the tip of the abdomen while your individual has a black tipped abdomen.  The striping on the legs is also different, but we still turned to BugGuide to see if there was more variation in the species.  We then determined you have a different species, and we located a very good match on BugGuide, but alas, it is only identified to the tribe Ichneumonini.  Your individual also looks similar to Diphyus palliatorius pictured on the French language page Aramel.Free.  According to BugGuide, in the family Ichneumonidae there are:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family,”  and we don’t believe we will be able to provide you with an exact species identity, but we do believe the closest we can come is the unidentified individual on Bugguide.

You are incredible – thank you so much for your work in this! I can’t imagine how much time you, and your team, invest into these requests, but know that it is sincerely appreciated.
best regards,
-Matthew

You are most welcome Matthew.  Were it not for identification requests with excellent images, we would not have much of a site.

Letter 33 – Unidentified Ichneumon from Canada in the Pacific Northwest

 

Subject: Wasp ?
Location: Victoria BC Canada
June 26, 2014 10:13 pm
I have a group of these flying around one section of my property. They look like wasps, but are much thinner and longer. They hover low to the ground, seeming to fly in circles, and dont seem to be going to a ‘ nest ‘ that I can see. They also do not seem to be aggressive like the other pesky wasps…yet. They have been hovering in the same area now for just about a week
Are these a threat to my Pets, and what are the advantages / disadvantages to them and how do I get rid of them.
Thanks
Signature: Randie Ruckle

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Dear Randie,
In 2008, we posted some images that were identified as Ichneumons, members of a family of wasps that parasitize other insects and sometimes other arthropods, but as it is a very large family, we never drilled down to the species level.  Recently there has been a flurry of comments from the Pacific Northwest to that posting including reports of stings or bites, and since you have provided us with new images, we have decided to see if we are able to properly identify this Ichneumon and provide any relevant information.
  This may take some time, but we will work on it.  Your Ichneumons seem to resemble members of the tribe Ichneumonini based on BugGuide images, but they might be in a different tribe.  BugGuide states:  “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates,” and they do have an extensive archive of Ichneumons.   Pouring through it will take some time.  If the information we have provided leads you to an identification before we get back to you, please give us an update.

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Update:  We did locate a matching image on Island Nature devoted to Vancouver Island, but it is not identified.

Thanks so much for the info.
I think my concern is there are alot of them in that section. I would say about 50 at least, all hovering ( flying )  just about ground level. From what I have read in Wiki, they ae supposed to be solitary.  There does not seem to be a ” nest ” that I can see them going to. The area is about 10 x 20 feet, give or take, that they are congregating in.  I dont really want a group of stinging insects around with my 2 19 year old dogs and my indoor/outdoor cat.
Thanks again. Any info is great !
R

Letter 34 – Unknown Ichneumon

 

Beautiful Ichneumon
Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 6:48 PM
Hello! I found this incredible creature flying around in the grass on a warm June night in Western Massachusetts. I think it is an ichneumon, but I just can’t seem to find out much more. Can you tell me its species? Thanks so much!
Jamie
Sheffield, MA

Unknown Ichneumon

Unknown Ichneumon

hi Jamie,
We agree that it is an Ichenumon, and we agree that it is beautiful, but we are uncertain of the exact species. We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he can provide any additional information. We will also post your letter in the hope that one of our readers knows more than we do. We would recommend that you either keep checking the posting to see if there has been a comment, or better yet, supply an additional comment to the posting with any additional information that may be helpful. Then if a reader provides a comment with an identification, you will automatically be notified.

Update
Daniel:
Yes, it is an ichneumon, but no telling what subfamily, let alone genus or species, without the specimen in hand.
Take care, enjoy the holiday weekend….
Eric

Letter 35 – Unknown Ichneumon

 

Subject: Unknown wasp or ichneumon
Location: Island Park, Idaho
July 27, 2012 3:26 pm
Could you identify this flying bug for me. It was shot in Island Park, Idaho in July 2012.
Signature: Brent

Unknown Ichneumon

Hi Brent,
We agree that this is some species of Ichneumon, but after browsing through the BugGuide possibilities twice with no luck at a species or genus identity, we are unable to provide you with that information.  We are posting it as an unidentified Ichenumon and perhaps we will be able to determine the species in the future.

Letter 36 – Unknown Ichneumon

 

Subject: Pacific Northwest Ichneumon
Location: Renton, WA
May 28, 2015 4:28 pm
I’ve been seeing about 50 of these guys parade my front and back yard over the grass areas. They do not seem to be harmful, and only hover over the grass areas. I did research and came across your website to find out it’s an “ichneumon wasp” according to Eric Eaton on another post. Would you happen to know where they nest or why they’re parading my lawn areas for? At first they looked like yellow jackets, but their bodies are much too skinny and orange to be. The pics I’ll include are from a few days ago. Any info would be great. Thanks.
Signature: Stephanie

Unknown Ichneumon

Unknown Ichneumon

Hi Stephanie,
We noticed your comment on the other Ichneumon posting, and we still are not able to provide a species identification for this Ichneumon.  Ichneumon Wasps do not build a nest.  They are parasitoids of a variety of insects and arthropods, and they are generally very host specific.  The female lays an egg on a host, or sometimes she uses her ovipositor to deposit eggs within the host.  The larvae then feed on the still living host.  Again, Ichneumons are not social wasps, but they are very important natural, biological controls for other insect populations, hence they are beneficial.  Most Ichneumons are perfectly harmless to humans, though members of the genus
Ophion are known to sting, but they are still not considered harmful to humans.

Unknown Ichneumon

Unknown Ichneumon

Letter 37 – Unknown Ichneumon from Australia

 

Subject: What kind of wasp is this?
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
December 16, 2013 8:28 pm
Hello,
I found this in our backyard and was wondering exactly what it is and is it dangerous. We live in Adelaide, South Australia. Thanks.
Signature: Jacob

Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Jacob,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a large and diverse group of parasitoid wasps that are not considered dangerous to humans.  The female uses her ovipositor, which is visible in your photo, to deposit her eggs, often directly into the body of the host insect or arthropod.  Most Ichneumons are very host specific, and the prey include many different orders, including butterflies and moths, true bugs and other wasps.  We hope to eventually determine a species identification for this unusual Ichneumon.

Letter 38 – Unknown Ichneumon from Costa Rica

 

Subject:  What’s this yellow wasp?
Geographic location of the bug:  Costa Rica, Nicoya Peninsuala
Date: 12/09/2019
Time: 05:49 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hi there! I’m living in Costa Rica and accustomed to all manner of crazy bugs, including having many, many paper wasps making my home their home. I’ve come across a very pretty wasp today, however, which I’ve never seen before. Any time there’s only one of something and it’s abnormally pretty, I start to wonder. I was hoping you could help me identify my new kitchen guest and let me know if I should be nervous about the surprisingly long stinger or not.
(sorry about the dust…it’s a daily accumulation, it’s crazy down here!)
Thanks in advance!
How you want your letter signed:  Monique

Unknown Ichneumon

Dear Monique,
We believe this is a parasitoid Ichneumon, a harmless solitary Wasp, but we have not had any luck finding any similar looking individuals online.  According to BugGuide:  “arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates”  and “Ichneumonids are notoriously hard to identify: aside from the sheer number of species, there are numerous cases of distant relatives that appear almost identical. Any identification based solely on comparing images should be treated as suspect unless an expert has said there are no lookalikes for the species or group in question.”  Ichneumons are important biological control agents and many species prey on caterpillars.  The female uses her long ovipositor (not a real stinger) to lay eggs inside the body of the living host and the larva that hatches will feed on the internal organs of the host, eventually killing it.

Thank you Daniel!
I used your identification in Google Images and, instead of getting moths like searching my image did, I found many similar images, so I completely trust your ID. She really was pretty and I hope that she finds a nice caterpillar nearby to help her hatch a lovely family.
Thanks for such a quick reply!
Monique

Letter 39 – Unknown Ichneumon Wasp

 

Another question
Dear Bugman,
First of all, you guys are awesome. I’ve sent photos of several different insects and arachnids your way and you always help out the best you can when it comes to identification. I commend you for always being courteous and prompt (when you can be). Now that I’ve done my quota of kissing butt, here are some more photos of critters I could use some help with. I only publish amateur photos on my website, so most of the time the species of creature is in question. Don’t get me wrong, I can tell an arachnid from an insect and an amphibian from a reptile, but whenever possible I prefer to positively identify a critter’s species. If you can even just point me in the right direction "order"-wise, I can probably find it. If you can give me the actual species…even better. Thanks in advance,
Stefan Bowers

Hi Stefan,
Most importantly, where are you located? This is some species of Ichenumon. We believe it may be a male Giant Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa. Your moth is one of the Sphinx Moths, but we need to research what species. We are posting yout two insects separately as putting different orders in one posting complicates our already disorganized archives.

Update: (05/11/2008)
Hi, Daniel:
A couple quick corrections to recent postings, if I may: The “Unknown ichneumon wasp” is NOT a male of Megarhyssa. Most ichneumon wasps are essentially impossible to identify beyond family from an image alone. Even specimens can be problematic! The one imaged here resembles the genus Ophion, but in no way can I be positive of that. … Cheers,
Eric

The post Where Do Ichneumon Wasp Live? Truth Revealed appeared first on What's That Bug?.

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