Pimpla contemplator

This is a black bodied wasp.  The front two pairs of legs are red, but the lower part of the hind legs are darker and there is a distinctive white band on the tibia which helps to determine the species. 

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Late spring and summer

The female parasitises lepidoptera pupae, inserting her eggs into the pupa.  The wasp larva will then consume the host from within.

This species seems to be quite widespread in England, though not particularly common.

Rarely recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland.