wasps

Long-Tailed Giant Ichneumonid Wasp

Long-Tailed Giant Ichneumonid Wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus) is a large reddish brown and yellow wasp with black coloring throughout the body. It is 1.5 inches long with an ovipositor 2-3 inches long. This insect is found on declining or dead hardwood trees between May and July. Due to their body structures, they can sometimes be mistaken for mayflies or dragonflies.
Ichneumonid wasps are parasitic to other insects, such as horntails, a wood-eating sawfly. Ichneumonid wasps are usually found on dying or dead hardwoods, such as oak, maple, birch, and elm as these are the wood preferred by horntails. They can drill about an ½ inch or more into the wood using their ovipositor to deliver an egg into the horntail larvae. Once the egg hatches, the larvae will slowly feed on the horntail, eventually killing it. Once it matures, the adult will emerge out of the tree. These wasps do not harm the trees; they only feed on the horntail.
These wasps are harmless to humans. However, if threatened, they will jab their ovipositor, resulting in a minor wound. Because they are parasites on other insects, they can be considered a biological pest control agent.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Paper Wasp

Wasps get a bad rap. They sting, and they not as glamorous as a bee that makes honey.

Wasps matter a lot because they play an important role in a healthy environment. Paper Wasps (Polistes dominulus), also known as Umbrella Wasps, are predatory and are at the top of the invertebrate food chain. Along with other wasps, Paper Wasps protect lower invertebrate species and plants. They work as generalist pollinators, like bees, to move pollen from one plant to another.

Paper wasps are social and will create a nest each year. The queen will emerge from the ground where she spends the winter and will build a nest using chewed wood pulp. The first generation of wasps she produces consists of worker wasps who feed on nectar. She will then concentrate on laying more eggs. The worker wasps feed the larva masticated caterpillars, flies, and other residential and agricultural pests. Vegetable gardeners love these flying predator Paper Wasps since they provide free and natural pest control. Like a bee or spider, the sting can be life-threatening to those who are allergic. However, Paper Wasps usually do not attack unless they are provoked or feel threatened. Unlike the honey bee, the Paper Wasp’s stingers are smooth and can sting more than once. Running and quick movements can be mistaken as an attack on the wasp. When you encounter a Paper Wasp, raise your hands slowly to protect your face, and walk away slowly.

According to Seirian Sumner, a senior lecturer in Behavioral Biology at the University of Bristol, ‘They may be a nuisance on a sunny day – but a world without wasps would be an ecological and economic disaster.’

Photo Credit: Dan Kon

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