It looks like a Digger Wasp, very similar to Argyorytes mystaceus on David Element's site,
http://www.david.element.ukgateway.net/hymenoptera5diggerwasps.htm
The yellow markings on mine differ slightly, could it be a male/female difference? I'm having trouble finding anything else like it.
The legs in the waist region, the hind legs, bend downwards before they go up.
This is the only pic I got as I was stood camera pointed almost as it landed, it didn't hang around for long.
Janet,
I think that your wasp is a mason Wasp, in the Vespidae subfamily Eumeninae, or in the Eumenidae. The genus is probably Ancistrocerus, but I haven't found an exact match. The closest I can find is Ancistrocerus campestris: http://bugguide.net/node/view/9796/bgimage
, but that seems to be an American species.
The closest UK species that I can find is Ancistrocerus trifasciatus: http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P4/P45228.php
but it seems to have more than two yellow bands on the tail of the abdomen.
Thanks Ken, I think you are right with Ancistrocerus trifasciatus
http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/insects/wasps.htm
They give a tentative ID, but it does seem to match the specimen on the link bioimages you gave. There probably is another stripe at the tail end, the angle doesn't quite show the tail end but if I enlarge the pic I can see a faint lighter colour on the edge, and it is a thinner stripe.
All else seems to fit perfectly, on the above site I can see it has a yellow spot between the eyes which mine has.
In the next pic it has a yellow mark under the wing, which mine also has. The yellow spots on the lower end of the thorax are not really visible, but I can see a faint lighter patch in that region.
http://nature.jensebor.dk/view.php?img=Hymenoptera/Vespidae/Ancistrocerus_trifasciatus_A_0903C.jpg
http://nature.jensebor.dk/structure.php?mydir=Hymenoptera&view=Hymenoptera/Vespidae
I found a record of Ancistrocerus trifasciatus in Staffordshire, only 11 records, 6 of those since 1990. This of course depends on several factors, being in the right place at the right time with a camera, ability and willingness to ID the thing, and to record it!
http://www.staffs-ecology.org.uk/aculeates/html/chkfull.html
3 records in Worcestershire, further away from here.
http://wbrc.org.uk/worcRecd/Issue%2021/aculeate_hymenoptera.htm
Recorded "Eumeninae: Ancistrocerus trifasciatus (Müller)." which is the only species of Ancistrocerus mentioned other than "Eumeninae: Ancistrocerus nigricornis (Curtis)." for:
"THE WASPS AND BEES (HYMENOPTERA) OF HARTLEBURY COMMON AND DEVIL’S SPITTLEFUL NATURE RESERVES IN WATSONIAN WORCESTERSHIRE."
http://wbrc.org.uk/worcRecd/Issue%2016/wasps_and_bees.htm
This is for Wicken Fen, not a million miles from here:
"Solitary wasps, in particular the Eumeninae. near relatives of the social wasps, are well represented on the Fen. The commonest is Ancistrocerus trifasciatus, a species generally associated with swampy conditions."
http://www.wicken.org.uk/wildlife_bees.htm
We have lots of water areas around here with old gravel pits.
NOW this is where I may discount all of the above! The following pic of Euodynerus quadrifasciatus looks extremely close! There is a yellow spot just visible between the eyes, the yellow stipes match with the exception of the yellow 'triangles' at the top of the thorax. Mine tend to follow the 'bump' of the thorax down to form a triangle, where the specimen on this site has a straight line drawn across cutting them off. Also, the thigh region of the legs on mine are black, only the front legs have black thighs on the specimen pic. Those 'flappy' yellow feet are bothering me too!
http://users.skynet.be/fa968040/EUMENINAE/Euodynerus_quadrifasciatus.JPG
http://users.skynet.be/fa968040/EUMENINAE/Eumeninae_1.htm
This pic of Ancistrocerus trifasciatus has no yellow marks on the lower thorax.
http://www.mashut.nl/mshgalerie/mshdiashowsoortenlijst.php?foto1=hvesp130605&foto1eerste=hvesp060704&idfamilie=19
A search for Euodynerus the next pic is close except for a yellow band at the lower thorax, also the shape of the yellow band at the top of thorax, but it just states 'species'. It also has 3 stripes at the lower end of the abdomen. But it does have black thighs!
http://www.cirrusimage.com/Bees_Wasps/Euodynerus_species_1.jpg
Other than the Belgian site and a Swedish one with menitons of Euodynerus, this seems to be mostly not here!
http://www2.nrm.se/en/ekop-hym.html.se
http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/aol/image?query=Euodynerus&invocationType=imageTab
At this point I take a break before I go potty.
Can I get an ID on this Mason Wasp (Ancistrocerus ?) - which Ancistrocerus species?
Seems an excellent match to Ancistrocerus adiabatus: http://bugguide.net/node/view/75311/bgpage
Kennedy
I got more pics of several different wasps, some with 2, 3, 4 or 5 stripes! They all move so quickly and some pics are not the best, but this one with the 2 stripes looks like one I got a few shots of at different angles as it ran around.
This is the same angle as my above pic.
This shows the back, the top stripe of the two at the tail end is thick with some 'bumping'.
It also has two spots on the lower thorax.
This shows the yellow marks at the top of the thorax, and front legs yellow with black uppers.
Side view shows a yellow spot at the top of the front leg, in the last pic you can see the yellow dot on the face too.
