Unidentified Parasitic fly in Wasps nest - ID or info please!

[Wasp Beetle]

Hi All,

I found this insect (which i presume to be a fly, perhaps diptera) in the middle of a Wasps nest that had been treated with poison (it was on a building site). The fly appears to be a poor visual mimic, with some striping on it's underbelly, and I presume perhaps uses pheromones to fool the wasps and gain access to the nest. A small flat triangular maggot was also seen in the nest, but I'm afraid i haven't got any photo's of it. I'm aware that such parasites and symbiotic relationships can be very rare, is anyone able to provide an ID or a clue perhaps??

Many thabks

[poschiavanus]

I found one a few years ago, the thread is here.

This is a beetle Meteocus paradoxus, the sole representative of the family Rhipiphoridae in Britain & Ireland. The larvae live in wasp nests as parasitoids & predators of wasp larvae. More on the biology here: Metoecus paradoxus.

[Wasp Beetle]

Many thanks! I see now that it is a strange looking Beetle! Fascinating life-cycle too!

Cheers