Description

Body length 12 - 16mm.  A distinctive yellow and black ichneumon. It has a black head with a yellow face and long antennae. The thorax is black with a yellow spot on the scutellum, a yellow line below the wing and a yellow collar. The top surface of the abdomen is black with two yellow bands and a yellow tip. The front two pairs of legs are yellow. The long hind legs are banded black and yellow.

Habitat

Woodland edge, hedgerows and grassland. The adults feed from flowers, mainly umbellifrous species, and also on honey-dew, excreted by aphids. They parasitize Noctuid moths mainly, but also some other species.

Status and distribution

Fairly widespread and common in lowland Britain. Fairly common in Nottinghamshire and regular at Netherfield Lagoons.

Best time to see

May to July.