Ichneumon wasp

We filmed the giant ichneumon wasp today in the Reuselse Moeren, with Kees Zwakhals (ichneumon wasp expert). The rare ichneumons are parasitic wasps that feed on wood wasps. It is a fantastic, intricate story. Wood wasps lay their eggs in diseased birch trees, where the larvae grow. They live for about two years in the wood, but run the risk that ichneumon wasps will come to lay their eggs in the larvae. How do the ichneumon wasps find out where the larvae are? The wood wasp larvae live in symbiosis with a mould – and the giant ichneumon wasp smells the mould.