31 Jun 2025
A really unusual beetle was spotted by Mark and Mary Blake in their garden. It's black and yellow striped, and fortunately stayed still for long enough for them to get some great photographs.
iNaturalist says that it is a wasp beetle, Clytus arietis, a wasp-mimicking longhorn beetle species, and as well as looking like a wasp it also makes a wasp-like buzzing noise when threatened.
The technical term for this is Batesian mimickry. It refers to an animal having the appearance of a poisonous or threatening species - with warning markers like the black and yellow colouring - when they are actually harmless. The idea is that it fools its predators into leaving it alone.
It is widespread in England and Wales, though rare in Scotland. The adults will visit flowers in any habitat for pollen and nectar.
