ICHNEUMON WASPS
There is not a lot of information on individual types of ichneumon wasps as the species are difficult to identify so this page contains general information. The wasp pictured looks like it could be from the Pimplinae family particularly (Pimpla rufipes).
Size
(Pimplinae rufipes)- 7-15 mm
Habitat
Gardens, woodland, meadows (any where the host is found)
Appearance
The body is mainly black with orange legs. The ovipositor is quite short and wide compared to other species and its waist is also short compared to others that can be very long and thin. The antennae are very long which are used to find the hosts for their young.
The ichneumon wasp grows and emerges as an adult from a host; depending on the species of wasp their hosts may be a specific species or more generally chosen.
After the adult wasps have mated the female will begin searching for a host to lay her eggs in. Unlike the male the female has a large sting called an ovipositor which acts like a hypodermic needle to inject the eggs. The host is usually a butterfly or moth caterpillar but it can be the larvae and eggs of a number of different creatures including beetles, flies and spiders.
Facts
Once a host is found the wasp will attack by holding onto it and injecting the egg or larvae with up to 150 eggs. Other wasps with larger ovipositors may use them to bore through bark and inject larvae burrowing underneath. An immunosupressant is also injected which stops the hosts immune system from killing the eggs. The host is left alive otherwise the young wouldn't survive.
Once the eggs have hatched the wasp larvae will begin eating the host from the inside. They will consume the non vital organs first such as fat and blood then when they are ready to pupate they will start to consume the rest and cut their way out through the hosts skin. The larave will then begin spinning a cucoon and hatch a few weeks later to repeat the cycle.
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There can be 1-10 generation of wasps born per year
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Only a few species can sting, most cannot pierce human skin
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Depending on the species the adults may continue to live after reproducing and feed on nectar from flowers such as the common tansy
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There are around 6,000 species of ichneumon wasps in the UK
(A video by National Geographic)