Bug FAQToothed Tiger Ichneumon
Amblyteles armatorius · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Ichneumonidae
The toothed tiger ichneumon is a large black and yellow wasp about 12 to 16 mm long, with long antennae. Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers, especially those in the carrot family, and the females lay eggs inside moth caterpillars. They are found in hedgerows, meadows and forest edges across most of Europe, the Near East and parts of Asia, and are most visible in summer.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The head and thorax are black with a yellow scutellum; the abdomen is yellow with broad black bands, and the legs are mostly yellow except the hind legs, which are black and yellow.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Body length reaches 12 to 16 mm, not counting antennae that add about 9 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
The species lacks a sting; its bright markings are a form of protective mimicry.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They usually live in hedgerows, meadows and at the edges of spruce forests.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults visit flowers for nectar and pollen, especially Apiaceae species. Females lay eggs inside moth caterpillars; the hatched larvae feed on those hosts.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults survive the winter and reappear in summer.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are most commonly seen during the summer months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
This Palearctic species occurs throughout most of Europe, the Near East and parts of the Oriental realm.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What do these wasps eat?
Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers, especially those in the carrot family, while the larvae develop inside moth caterpillars.
Source: Wikipedia
When are they active?
You’ll most often see them in summer, when they visit flowers and lay eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
Do they sting?
No, they have no sting; their bright colors mimic stinging insects as a defense.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Ichneumonidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyteles_armatorius
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.