Sabre Wasp - Rhyssa persuasoria (#928)

This large and rather scary parasitic wasp trapped itself in the greenhouse. At 40 mm long, excluding an ovipositor longer even than the body, it’s an impressive bug and UK’s biggest parasitic wasp. The females (like this one) detect beetle larvae deep in dead wood, and their ovipositor can pass through the wood to lay eggs in or near the grub. The wasp larvae then eats the beetle larva. This species is normally found in woodland with dead logs, so it is a good find for my garden which is not very near a wooded area.