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Species guide - species detail

Ichneumonidae (Ichneumonid parasitic wasp)

Images

Taxonomy

Ichneumonidae are parasitic wasps that use their long ovipositors to deposit eggs on, into, or near an insect host. It is a large family, with over 3300 described species in North America. If you see Ichneumonidae genera listed in your bee block results, we were not able to identify the specimen to genus or species.

Description

Ichneumonids are typically slender wasps with long ovipositors, sometimes up to twice as long as their body. They have long antennae with 16 or more antennal segments.

Nest Structure

Most Ichneumonids are solitary parasitoids whose larvae feed and develop on a single host, although some species' larvae are mobile and will feed on more than one host. Hosts include a wide range of insects in the orders Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, and Mecoptera, and spiders and spider egg sacs.

Hole Sizes

No information at this time.

Voltinism

No information at this time.

Activity Period

No information at this time.

References

Triplehorn, C.A and N.F. Johnson. 2005. Borror and DeLong's introduction to the study of insects, 7th ed. Thomson, Brooks/Cole, Australia. Thank you to John Luhman for identifying all of our Ichneumonid specimens.

Minnesota Record Map

These data are from the Minnesota Bee Atlas project.

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