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Ichneumon Wasp

Hardly seen by people, ichneumon wasps live in places where humans do not frequent. They thrive in damp habitats like forests with decaying trees. These insects look like other common wasps, but they are not harmful to humans. Actually, these insects are beneficial to humans, especially farmers. After mating, females search for a host insect in which to deposit their eggs. Some species use their antennae, pressing them against dead trees to detect vibrations coming from newly hatched harmful larvae. When the female finds a good host species, she pierces the host and lays her egg inside their body. Here the egg hatches into ichneumon larva and consumes the fluids and tissues of the host insect. Pupation occurs within the host, and the adult emerges in the spring. Adults are brown or black with yellow marks.