Wasp beetle  (Clytus arietis)

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.