Ichneumon wasps are common and widespread throughout most of the world with around 25 000 species described to science, however, the real number of different species is probably much more than that as they have not all been described to science.
Unfortunately, human knowledge of this species is severely lacking. But here is what is known about them in general:
I photographed this one in my garden on the Bluff at the beginning of May. It was fairly large at around two centimetres in length. There are known species that are less than one millimetre in total length as full grown adults.
The ichneumon wasp is a solitary wasp whereas most other wasps we know live in social family groups. While the well-known wasps have a powerful venomous stinger on their abdomen, the ichneumon wasp has what’s called an ovipositor on its abdomen which is used for laying eggs on or in their prey. The eggs hatch into carnivorous larvae which eat and slowly kill their host.
The ovipositor can also be used as a stinger in self-defence, so this wasp should not be messed with. The males of the species, however, do not have ovipositors or stingers. If you have ever had your pet micro-chipped at the vet, you would have a pretty good idea of how the ovipositor works on these wasps.
Most species of female ichneumon wasp seek out butterfly, moth and beetle larvae in which they inject their eggs. The caterpillar remains alive and continues to grow as the wasp eggs hatch and the baby wasp larvae begin to feed on the caterpillar’s insides.
Once the wasp larvae are full grown they burst out of their hosts body (at this point the host caterpillar dies), imminently making a small cocoon in which to pupate, before emerging as an adult wasp. Some species of this wasp also feed on spiders, using the same principal, while others lay their eggs into the ground. As adults, the wasps feed mostly on plant nectar and other insects.
This wasp shows that there is a natural remedy for keeping caterpillars and even spiders under control. God created everything for a plan and a purpose, so if we keep our natural environment the way God created it to be, no species will get out of hand. There is really never a need to use harsh poisons.
If you would like to contact Warren to have some of your interesting insects, snakes or other wildlife identified, send him a WhatsApp message or call him on 072-211-0353. Visit his Facebook page called, Warren’s Small World.
