Orussuss is a genus of Parasitic Wood Wasp that is (or was) attracted to my spruce stump. The males arrive first in the spring, by mid to late April. Upon arrival, they quickly march straight up the trunk for a few feet and march down again, and then repeat.
On May 20, 2018, I saw a mating pair. The male walked down the stump toward the female, who walked up to meet him. She began to furiously beat her antennae while he rhythmically flicked his abdomen up and down. Finally, when they nearly met, face to face, the two spun around as though they were doing a square dance. Then the male chased the female around for a few seconds. It didn't seem to me like mating actually took place, but it may have been faster than I could observe.
I have a video of their dance on my phone. I don't know how to include it, but if I can figure that out, I'll show it here.
The male of this species is a bit smaller than the female and has a black abdomen, while the females has a red one.
 |
 |
| Male |
Female |
It seems that the stump no longer has wood-boring beetle larvae that Orussus wasps parasitize. The last one that I have observed was on 28 April 2020.
- Links
- Parasitic Wood Wasp Genome Project
- BugGuide
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Orussuss is a genus of Parasitic Wood Wasp that is (or was) attracted to my spruce stump. The males arrive first in the spring, by mid to late April. Upon arrival, they quickly march straight up the trunk for a few feet and march down again, and then repeat.
On May 20, 2018, I saw a mating pair. The male walked down the stump toward the female, who walked up to meet him. She began to furiously beat her antennae while he rhythmically flicked his abdomen up and down. Finally, when they nearly met, face to face, the two spun around as though they were doing a square dance. Then the male chased the female around for a few seconds. It didn't seem to me like mating actually took place, but it may have been faster than I could observe.
I have a video of their dance on my phone. I don't know how to include it, but if I can figure that out, I'll show it here.
The male of this species is a bit smaller than the female and has a black abdomen, while the females has a red one.
|
|
|
| Male |
Female |
It seems that the stump no longer has wood-boring beetle larvae that Orussus wasps parasitize. The last one that I have observed was on 28 April 2020.
- Links
- Parasitic Wood Wasp Genome Project
- BugGuide
)
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Orussus occidentalis
Orussus thoracicus
