Ovipositor drills through wood: parasitic wasps

1 of 1 Parasitic wasp with ovipositor / Ken-ichi Ued.. / License

The 10 cm long ovipositor of the parasitic wasp, Megarhyssa ichneumon, drills several centimeters through solid wood using reciprocating rather than rotatory motion.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Move or stay put >
	Move >
	In/on solids

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Drilling mechanism for various substrates

[Collapse all sections] Summary

"In some wasps, the egg-laying organ, or ovipositor, has been adapted to bore through wood. I have watched Megarhyssa ichneumon wasps drill through several centimetres of solid elm in order to parasitize the woodboring larvae of horntail wasps that feed deep inside dead trees. The parasite appears to detect the presence of horntails by smelling with its antennae and perhaps by feeling the larvae's vibrations in the wood. The ovipositor of Megarhyssa is longer than the wasp itself--it measures almost 10 centimetres--and is highly flexible. The wasp not only is able to insert the ovipositor through several centimetres of wood but also uses it to inject eggs into its horntail host." (Forsyth 1992:27)

About the inspiring organism

Ichneumonidae
Ichneumonidae

Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Drilling mechanism for various substrates.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Construction, mining

References

Forsyth, A. 1992. Exploring the World of Insects: The Equinox Guide to Insect Behaviour. Camden House.

Ovipositor drills through wood: parasitic wasps

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