Nysson trimaculatus

One of several similar black and yellow banded wasps. Care is needed with identification. Most solitary bees and wasps are difficult to identify, and can rarely be identified from photos taken in the field. All red-rated records should include a photo or set of photos of the specimen, illustrating the key characters taken from a standard key, which should also be referenced (e.g. ‘Falk, 2015’). The full set of key characters are generally not visible in field photos and photos are rarely sharp enough. To aid in the verification of your records, please include face shot, side, top and wings. The notes should state whether male or female, and explain how the specimen met the key characters. Although NS may not be able to identify the species even if these reference photos are provided, the photos will be stored with the record and may allow it be identified in future. Alternatively, NS will accept records identified by a recognised local or national expert, or that have been identified via BWARS’ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065021433202 . If you have obtained this advice, please note the name of the person/organisation identifying the record in the ‘determiner’ field (e.g. ‘Stuart Roberts, BWARS Facebook’) rather than just a comment of ‘BWARS Facebook’. Recorded from a variety of open habitats on light soils, including heathland, dry grassland and scrub, open woodland, coastal landslips and soft rock cliffs, quarries and other post-industrial sites and occasionally heavily urbanised locations. Flight period early June to early September. N. trimaculatus is a cleptoparasite of Gorytes quadrifasciatus and G. bicinctus , relying entirely on the former species in the north of its range (e.g. Warwickshire and Yorkshire), and largely on G. bicinctus in Kent, where G. quadrifasciatus is scarce. Recorded widely in the southern half of England, from Cornwall to Kent and north to Warwickshire and Yorkshire.