Insect ID

[chickenchargrill]

Pictures aren't great, it decided to fly to the bottom of the wheelie bin when I went back out with my camera. Been through some pics of hoverflies and wasps on G00gle images but can't seem to find it.

[Green Aura]

I did a quick search and the only thing I could find that looked anywhere near it is a scorpion fly.

[chickenchargrill]

Its thorax isn't that long or thin. The yellow is quite bright as well. It's a weird one.

[MKG]

Hard to see at the moment. Is that long line one of its antennae (second picture)?

Mike

EDIT: It looks like it's laying eggs, by the way - you're going to have more of whatever it is

[Nomada]

When they have antennae as long as that they are usually a kind of parasitic wasp. It wont sting, it should be quite harmless...unless you're a caterpillar or what ever it might parasitise.

[chickenchargrill]

Just found out its name. It's a ichneumon xanthorius. Apparently the ichneumon species made a lot of people doubt the existence of God, including Darwin, due to it eating the caterpillars during its larval stage.

[Nomada]

Awsome, it does seem a bit evil doesn't it! Creatures like that totally fascinate me!

[donegalwildman]

It's certainly an Ichneumon wasp, but you can't id these from photographs: the 3000 or so species that we have in the British Isles converge on a small number of colour patterns, even across families. The only place these lay eggs is inside larvae of moths, butterflies and sawflies.