Giant Ichneumon Wasp - Megarhyssa macrurus

Male Giant Ichneumon Wasps - Megarhyssa macrurus
Hymenoptera family Ichneumonidae
I hit the jackpot one day - this half-dead tree seemed to attract these male wasps by the dozens. I only saw a couple of females, and they did not hang around long enough to pose for pictures, darnit. The males pictured here range from about 50-80mm, and the females I would estimate at 120mm or more, including that incredible ovipositor. Oh, wait! I finally got the females in the act of ovipositing.



	Male Megarhyssa wasps gather at trees or fallen logs where female wasps are emerging in springtime. They seek to inseminate the females by two methods - waiting for them to emerge, or actually inserting their abdomens into the hole from which the female will shortly emerge. (Talk about robbing the cradle!) Competition is tight, and it is not uncommon for two males to have their abdomens inserted into the same hole simultaneously.
	Male lacks stinger or ovipositor
	Male Megarhyssa Wasp

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