Florida Woods Cockroach vs Ichneumon Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Florida Woods Cockroach Ichneumon Wasp
Scientific Name Eurycotis floridana Megarhyssa macrurus
Order Blattodea Hymenoptera
Family Blattidae Ichneumonidae
Size 30-40 mm 25-50 mm body plus 100+ mm ovipositor
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Detritivores Parasitoids
Regions North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Florida Woods Cockroach

A large, slow-moving, nearly wingless cockroach native to the southeastern United States. It is commonly known as the palmetto bug or stinking cockroach.

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Did You Know?

When threatened, the Florida woods cockroach sprays a noxious, foul-smelling chemical from glands beneath its abdomen that can temporarily stain skin.

Ichneumon Wasp

A large parasitoid wasp with an extremely long, thread-like ovipositor that can exceed the length of its body. Females drill through solid wood to reach their host larvae deep inside.

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Did You Know?

The female can somehow detect horntail larvae vibrations through several centimeters of solid wood and then drill her flexible ovipositor to reach them with remarkable accuracy.