Wasp?

[Tanglefert]

I saw something that looked like a wasp today. It was flying about where an old bees nest was. It was about an inch long, black and kind of ant/wasp like and with a dark orange band around its tail. Can anyone help me in telling me what it is?

[Thunderbird+]

I think what you have seen could be a ruby tailed wasp, it fits your discription perfectly and the "old bees nest was a good clue too.
Its a parasitic wasp that lays an egg in the grubs of bees.

[pjm007]

Could be a wood wasp, did it look like this:

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http: //homepage.ntlworld.com/debbie.allan1/images/u rgig2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://homepage.ntlworld.c om/debbie.allan1/urogig.html&h=400&w=289&sz=44 &hl=en&start=3&tbnid=yHVbkTR_b17KxM:&tbnh=124& tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwood%2Bwasp%26svnum %3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%2 6rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG

[Jimble Jones]

yeah its a mugwump wasp, hope this helps

[Tanglefert]

Jimble jones, please be serious....