What is the Ichneumonoidea?
Q: What is the Ichneumonoidea?
A: The Ichneumonoidea is a superfamily of parasitoid wasps in the suborder Apocrita.
Q: How many species are part of this superfamily?
A: There are over 80,000 different species in the Ichneumonoidea superfamily.
Q: How do members of the family Ichneumonidae differ from those of Braconidae?
A: Members of the family Ichneumonidae are usually larger than members of the Braconidae, and there are three times as many species in this family. The two families can also be distinguished by details in their wing venation.
Q: Are all members of these families solitary insects?
A: Yes, almost all members of these families are solitary insects.
Q: What type of feeding behavior do they have?
A: Most members of these families are parasitoids - meaning that their larvae feed on or inside another insect until it dies.
Q: How do some species suppress the immune system of their host insect? A: Some species use polydnaviruses (with double strand DNA) to suppress the immune system of their host insect.
Q: What purpose do some wasp species serve as biological control agents? A: Some wasp species can be used successfully as biological control agents to help control pests such as flies or beetles.
