Today when I went into the workshop I had to light the fire because, despite reasonably sunny weather, the temperatures are really low. And this little fellow was sitting on one piece of wood and he gave me quite a start, for I have mistaken him for a wasp. Which is the point of its coloration, of course.
Unfortunately, I was only able to make these two pictures. The beetle was quite sluggish in the cold workshop, but when I took it outside in the sun, it warmed up quickly and flew off before I could make more with better camera settings. I hope my entomologist friend will be able to identify the species. Preliminarily I think it is some species of longhorn beetle that has emerged from a pupa in firewood.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
So cool… I think it’s a wasp beetle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clytus_arietis) which mimics wasps to look dangerous and keep itself safe. And I did read that the larvae live in old fence posts etc. so totally possible it was in your firewood or some other piece of wood.
What an interesting survival strategy. Nature is endlessly fascinating.
Be dangerous, look dangerous, or hide. This one went for the middle option.
@kestrel, my entomologist friend said the same, so I think you identified the species correctly.