Wandering over the surface of a fallen log, continually contacting the wood with her antennae, […] Liesch said that the giant ichneumon wasps are parasites of horntail wasps, which are insects that live in rotting trees. Giant Ichneumon Wasp Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology. wasps. GIW larvae are parasitoids. That’s due to the fact that this wonder of nature and evolution appears in … The Giant Ichneumon is a parasitoid insect that preys upon the wood boring larvae of another non-stinging wasp relative, the Pigeon Horntail. Her two- to four-inch long ovipositor with its two protective filaments looks like three long tails. To attract Giant Ichneumon Wasp two ingredients are necessary; first, a dead tree, and second, a distant GIW relative, a primitive wasp called a pigeon horntail. The giant ichneumon wasp is the largest of the parasitic wasps with a body often reaching two inches and a much longer ovipositor (stinger). They eat other insects, slowly, starting with non-essential structures and ending with essential organs, so that the host stays alive until the parasitoid is ready to pupate. Inspired by the giant ichneumon wasp’s ovipositor, researchers have developed a flexible, steerable needle that can take the least invasive route to deposit cancer treatments, or skirt around parts of the brain where a larger incision could do lasting damage. Among its many kindred species, the truly remarkable Giant Ichneumon Wasp inhabits a comparatively wide section of the world. It has a very elongated body form and most notably long ‘tails’ that may extend a couple of inches. The wasps are, however, a menace to other insects. Giant Ichneumon Wasp. A male Megarhyssa, about the size of a damselfly, flew into the BugLady’s car one day and stayed long enough for a portrait. Amylostereum) when ovipositing, which helps their grubs extract food value while feeding on the wood.Adult female Megarhyssa are able to detect the odor of these fungi, and once they land on the bark of an infected tree the Megarhyssa will walk along tapping the surface with their antennae (or "antennating") to further … Tags: insects. Horntail adult females introduce wood-digesting fungi (e.g. Megarhyssa greenei – Giant Ichneumon Wasp This giant ichneumon wasp drilled her ovipositor, or terebra, 1-1/2 inches deep into solid wood, and laid an egg in the course of 4 minutes on a lovely, early spring day in the American midwest. Megarhyssa is a parasite of horntails. parasitic wasps. Megarhyssa can drill 1/2 inch or more into the wood with its ovipositor to deliver an egg into the horntail larva. A female Giant Ichneumon, like the one in your photo, locates a wood boring Horntail larva and then drills into … It also is generally brown in color with yellow and orange markings. The giant ichneumon wasp is a parasitic wasp (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) specific to the pigeon tremex. Horntails attack dying or recently dead hardwoods, such as oak, maple, birch and elm. Females have a very long (up to 3 inches long) thread-like egg-laying structure (ovipositor) on the end of their abdomens. One of the Bug Lady’s favorite insects is the Giant Ichneumon Wasp (genus Megarhyssa), a sizable wasp with a sizable (3+ inches) ovipositor that she curls up over her body at rest. The black giant ichneumon wasp, Megarhyssa atrata, belongs to a genus of ichneumons called the giant ichneumons.The female’s body can be 1½ inches long, and her ovipositor 5 inches long. Colorado State University has an interesting article about the relationship between the giant ichneumon wasp and the horntail wasp. The female giant ichneumon wasp is a striking animal, two inches long, boldly patterned in brown, orange, and yellow. Ichneumonid wasps are parasitic upon other insects. The larvae parasitize the larvae of wood-boring insects. However, despite their appearance they are harmless to humans and do not damage trees. Common Name: Ichneumon wasp Scientific Name: Varies Order: Hymenoptera Description: Adults of Megarhyssa macrurus lunator have brown bodies, up to 1 ½ in length, marked with black and yellow markings and transparent wings.