Ichneumon Wasp Spotted in King Cove

Observation by Ivy-Jane Jacobson:

Never seen this bug around here before!

Comments from LEO Editors:

This looks like an ichneumonid wasp. These are parasitoid wasps that belong to the order Hymenoptera, which includes bees, ants, sawflies, and wasps. Parasitoid wasps use the long appendage at the end of its body, called an ovipositor, to lay eggs inside its prey. These wasps usually prey on beetles (order Coleoptera), butterflies, and moths (order Lepidoptera), and other species of Hymenoptera. The larvae consume the prey after hatching.

Ichneumon wasps can be found all over North America. In 2012, LEO Member Nikki Shanigan in Pilot Point submitted an observation of an ichneumonid wasp in her area. Mike Rasy, then with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension, wrote that these wasps are "very beneficial and non-harmful."