Strange Insect

[wideboy]

Similar to 'The Big Gill' but not about scorpions - we just found a flying insect in a bucket in our garden today. I've never seen anything like it -neither in the flesh nor in general reading. It can best be described as a cross between a wasp and a bee (but very long). I took a photo of it and would like to know where I might send it. The creature was about 5cm long, orange and black segments, maybe two pairs of wings, very long orange 'feelers' and what seemed to be an enormous sting (between 0.5 and 1.0 cm). We took it out, photographed and videod it but when it dried off, it managed to fly away.

Any help in identifying it would be most appreciated.

[Cetti]

Sticking my neck out here wideboy, but it sounds as though you might have had a Greater Horntail in your garden.

It's a fearsome looking beast but notally harmless. The giant sting is only the ovipostor of the female. She uses it to drill into pine trees to lay her eggs. The male is much smaller and the tip of the abdomen is black. Here is a picture of the lady...
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/debbie.allan1/uro gig.html

[wideboy]

Cetti, that's spot-on - absolutely MAGIC - looks just like the photo that I took. You're not an entomologist are you?

Thanks VERY much. The family appreciate it.

[wideboy]

I should have said that we are in the West of Scotland - is it likely to be common up here or is it to do with global warming?

[Cetti]

I'm really pleased it was the correct little beast, wideboy. No, not an bug expert, just have a great passion for all wildlife plus an insatiable curiosity ;-)

Whether it's common in Scotland or not I honestly couldn't say, but the odds of seeing one are greater if you live near pine forests.I'm down on the south coast in Dorset and have only ever seen one, which I must confess - frightened the life out of me until I found out what it was.

[Thunderbird+]

I have to say, thats a nice bit of detective work by Cetti and a great privilage for you Wideboy to see and vidio such an impresive but scarey looking beast!
I've never seen one myself (only the smaller sawfly's) but will take comfort in the fact of knowing that its harmless but I think if I was driving through the Glens and one of these bugs flew in the window on a reconaisance mission, it may just send me over the edge!
It looks more like a characachure of a cartoon wasp or hornet, jeez!