Wasp beetle  (Clytus arietis)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Biology

The larvae of the wasp beetle feed on the wood of deciduous trees, which have been invaded by a particular species of fungus. The adults emerge in May and feed on the pollen of different species of flowers, the females occasionally taking insects to provide extra protein for egg-production. The adult beetles have a short life and most have died by the end of the summer.

Wasp beetles practice what is known as ‘protective-colouration’, mimicking a more aggressive species of animal. As well as the wasp-like markings on their bodies, they also copy the wasps’ style of moving about across a flower-head, adopting the side-ways walk characteristic of wasps. Unlike wasps, however, they lack the sting in the tail.

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