Editor’s note: “Critters” features insects, spiders, snakes and other freaky/fun creatures unique to the Grand Valley. Have a critter you want discussed? Email [email protected]. Giant ichneumon ...

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An ichneumon wasp uses its long ovipositor to pierce the bark of a tree and deposit its eggs on larva inisde. (Susan DiMaso) Indeed, quite a few parasitic wasps can be found on Staten Island. A few ...

You never know what surprises — some hair-raising — are waiting to be discovered when out and about in Penn's Woods. Not too long ago, my friend Stan Galenty and I had searched for plants and animals ...

WHEN the ice melts and the trees bud in the temperate forest, the female ichneumon wasp surveys the land in search of caterpillars. When she finds one, she lands on its back and inserts a delicate ...

Many insects make cocoons when they are young to protect themselves from the big, bad world, full of predators (and cable news channels). Ichneumon wasps have a found a way to make this process easier ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

FOREST COUNTY (WLUK) -- A large wasp found in Wisconsin is making an appearance in the Northwoods. The pelecinid wasp is a couple inches long, but it won't hurt you. In the woods of Forest County, a ...

MONITOR TWP. — It looks like something out of a horror movie — spindly legs, a long yellow and brown body, and a stinger-like tail that stretches for several inches. When Melissa Jean first laid eyes ...

Whenever I asked students to tell me how insects were ecologically important, two of the most common responses were “as plant pollinators” and “some insects were vectors/carriers of diseases.” It ...

FOREST COUNTY, Wis. -- A large wasp is popping up in Wisconsin and it looks a lot scarier than it really is. According to WLUK, the pelecinid wasp usually comes out in late July, and most of the month ...