This is quite possibly an ichneumenid wasp. Their place in life is to
parasitise wood-boring larvae of other insects.
I learned about these in my professional life in forestry. A so-called sawfly,
Sirex noctilio, invaded New Zealand planted pine forests which at that stage
were too-heavily stocked with trees (on a per unit area basis) and the
intense competition between then created ideal conditions for Sirex, Sirex
laid eggs in the wood of the trees with the highest temperature, the eggs
developed into wood-eating grubs, which eventually killed the trees. in large
numbers.
Biological control was put in place through the importation and release of
insects to kill the Sirex grubs. The first of these was a miniature version of
Moose's bug, called Rhyssa persuasoria. This breeds by locating where a
grub is in the wood, drilling down precisely with her slender ovidepositor, and
laying egg(s) in the grub. These duly hatch and feed on the live Sirex larva.
Yum yum.
Later, we imported a species with the generic name of Megarhyssa.
Moose's one is quite magnificent.
Brian Swale
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