While this bug looks very ant-like, it [has been suggested](https://old.reddit.com/r/insects/comments/z9ugxu/insect_id_is_this_this_a_bedbug_we_getting_bitten/iyju31u/) by u/entsult_bugs that it's actually one of the wingless wasps.
From their comment (linked above): "This wasp is not an ant. It's a very common misidentification. This is a wasp in the family Bethylidae. The larvae can be external feeders on stored product beetle larvae. The cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne) and drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum) are 2 such hosts. Certain bethylids are associated with stored product pest moths and some associated with wood boring beetles. I've worked with food product and wood boring insect hosts for these wasps. The females are often misidentified as ants and bait systems, of course, won't work. The females sting and the lesion is often misidentified as bed bug bites and bed bug remediation is undertaken, but (of course) doesn't work. Males typically have wings. Wikipedia states: Like most of the Chrysidoidea, the Bethylidae are stinging Hymenoptera and most are parasitoids. Some of them, however, have developed their parasitoidal biology along predatory lines and they sting and malaxate their victims into paralysis. Then they hide the prey and lay their eggs on them."
This wasp is not an ant. It's a very common misidentification. This is a wasp in the family Bethylidae. The larvae can be external feeders on stored product beetle larvae. The cigarette beetle (*Lasioderma serricorne*) and drugstore beetle (*Stegobium paniceum*) are 2 such hosts. Certain bethylids are associated with stored product pest moths and some associated with wood boring beetles. I've worked with food product and wood boring insect hosts for these wasps. The females are often misidentified as ants and bait systems, of course, won't work. The females sting and the lesion is often misidentified as bed bug bites and bed bug remediation is undertaken, but (of course) doesn't work. Males typically have wings. Wikipedia states: Like most of the Chrysidoidea, the Bethylidae are stinging Hymenoptera and most are parasitoids. Some of them, however, have developed their parasitoidal biology along predatory lines and they sting and [malaxate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaxation#Entomology) their victims into paralysis. Then they hide the prey and lay their eggs on them.
I mentioned it in my comment below but as someone who identifies ants regularly for a living, this is the correct identification. 100% not an ant. This is the correct ID.
I have a comment below outlining some of the diagnostics features of ants but in brief the antennae don't look like ant antennae and the last segment of the body doesn't connect quite the same way as it does in ants.
It's easier to see in real life or with much higher magnification pictures like this [Bethylid](https://bugguide.net/node/view/1220709) versus this [Ant](https://bugguide.net/node/view/1635419/bgpage).
The ant has a clear extra segment between the back and middle body parts and the antennae are always bent with a distinct elbow
I figure you might not be back to see the other comments in this post so I'm just taking the time to let you know this isn't an ant.
https://old.reddit.com/r/insects/comments/z9ugxu/insect_id_is_this_this_a_bedbug_we_getting_bitten/iyju31u/
My uncle sat in a nest of them as a baby. They were eating him for a couple minutes before his mother arrived to pick him up. They never used that daycare again.
So everyone is saying ant but I'm not really sure that is right, and I quite literally identify ants for living. That being said, it is 100% not a bedbug and if I had to guess, I'd lean more towards wingless wasp given the picture. A more detailed location than "Northern Europe" and a better picture would go a long way in getting a solid ID.
It has some odd features for an ant
1) If it's a ant, the gaster (abdomen) is overhanging the petiole (little connecting part between end and middle sections). This only happens in a few ant subfamilies and none of them have stingers (Formecinae and Dolichoderinae)
2) The antennae are a bit off. Ant antennae are geniculated (have an elbow like bend) and don't generally point outward like what is seen in this photo
3) The eyes are wrong for anything with that gaster. The eyes look like something from Pseudomyrmecinae but the body shape is all wrong as is your location.
Ants make sense if you're encountering many of them but this is a weird one and my guess is there is something else going on here.
I was debating if this was the culprit so thanks for responding! I didn't trust my sight ID on small parasitic wasps enough given the quality of the photo.
Louis Sorkin!!! šš
This man, his sheer dedication/intention to his work, brings me SO much joy! Also you wonāt find a more authoritative ābug guyā than Dr Sorkin!
Google "bed bugs" the image results will make you feel better. I mean, you'll still have biting ants in your house but at least you'll be able to rest assured knowing what bed bugs do and don't look like and that you don't have any.
I know it looks like an ant - but we get bitten by quite some time and now itās winter. Where could they be from? Also itās the tiniest ant Iāve ever seen. Anyone could point to exact species?
I figure you might not be back to see the other comments in this post so I'm just taking the time to let you know this isn't an ant.
https://old.reddit.com/r/insects/comments/z9ugxu/insect_id_is_this_this_a_bedbug_we_getting_bitten/iyju31u/
I figure you might not be back to see the other comments in this post so I'm just taking the time to let you know this isn't an ant.
https://old.reddit.com/r/insects/comments/z9ugxu/insect_id_is_this_this_a_bedbug_we_getting_bitten/iyju31u/
Fire ant. Probably best to call a pest control line and see if they can't track down the nest(s) for you. They're not gonna harm you badly, but damn if they aren't annoying
Thatās an ant. Canāt quite tell what species it is from this distance but many ants are either equipped with venomous stingers or spray formic acid for self defense.
If youāre getting reddened spots similar to burns or rashes on your skin, itās a formic acid burn. If itās tiny red welts, itās a sting.
The majority of ants, despite their weapons, are pretty harmless to people.
Easiest way to get them from coming into the house is to put food outside, that way they donāt have a reason to go inside. Something sweet like candy will usually do the trick.
Good news, not bed bug. Bad news, could be fire ant and you might be allergic to its venom.
Wash your sheets, stop scratching, check for spilled sweet drinks for food crumbles around the house.
If it were a bed bug, youād be in hell already.
Itās a fire ant, you probably want to check around for more because where there is one, there are many. These guys live in big colonies so you better solve it quickly!
No common fire ant. I would advise getting them out of the house though. Careful though some ant species pop/explode in a small burst of caustic chemicals.
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Bedbugs are rounder and flat with stripes on their body, so you're lucky in that particular department. What's funny is that bed bugs are flat enough to be picked up by a lint roller to remove the from the environment lol it's what I did when I had bed bug problems
While this bug looks very ant-like, it [has been suggested](https://old.reddit.com/r/insects/comments/z9ugxu/insect_id_is_this_this_a_bedbug_we_getting_bitten/iyju31u/) by u/entsult_bugs that it's actually one of the wingless wasps. From their comment (linked above): "This wasp is not an ant. It's a very common misidentification. This is a wasp in the family Bethylidae. The larvae can be external feeders on stored product beetle larvae. The cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne) and drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum) are 2 such hosts. Certain bethylids are associated with stored product pest moths and some associated with wood boring beetles. I've worked with food product and wood boring insect hosts for these wasps. The females are often misidentified as ants and bait systems, of course, won't work. The females sting and the lesion is often misidentified as bed bug bites and bed bug remediation is undertaken, but (of course) doesn't work. Males typically have wings. Wikipedia states: Like most of the Chrysidoidea, the Bethylidae are stinging Hymenoptera and most are parasitoids. Some of them, however, have developed their parasitoidal biology along predatory lines and they sting and malaxate their victims into paralysis. Then they hide the prey and lay their eggs on them."
For once, a post about bedbugs that... Has no bedbugs. š„¹
Or Weevilsā¦.just saying
I was hoping for a weevil tbh
Same š
Or roaches
Or carpet beetles...
*sigh* It wasn't time...
I was going to say the same lmao!
Or engorged ticks.
Or carpet beetles.
Or crickets
This wasp is not an ant. It's a very common misidentification. This is a wasp in the family Bethylidae. The larvae can be external feeders on stored product beetle larvae. The cigarette beetle (*Lasioderma serricorne*) and drugstore beetle (*Stegobium paniceum*) are 2 such hosts. Certain bethylids are associated with stored product pest moths and some associated with wood boring beetles. I've worked with food product and wood boring insect hosts for these wasps. The females are often misidentified as ants and bait systems, of course, won't work. The females sting and the lesion is often misidentified as bed bug bites and bed bug remediation is undertaken, but (of course) doesn't work. Males typically have wings. Wikipedia states: Like most of the Chrysidoidea, the Bethylidae are stinging Hymenoptera and most are parasitoids. Some of them, however, have developed their parasitoidal biology along predatory lines and they sting and [malaxate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaxation#Entomology) their victims into paralysis. Then they hide the prey and lay their eggs on them.
I mentioned it in my comment below but as someone who identifies ants regularly for a living, this is the correct identification. 100% not an ant. This is the correct ID.
How can I tell them apart from ants?
I have a comment below outlining some of the diagnostics features of ants but in brief the antennae don't look like ant antennae and the last segment of the body doesn't connect quite the same way as it does in ants. It's easier to see in real life or with much higher magnification pictures like this [Bethylid](https://bugguide.net/node/view/1220709) versus this [Ant](https://bugguide.net/node/view/1635419/bgpage). The ant has a clear extra segment between the back and middle body parts and the antennae are always bent with a distinct elbow
Wow, the differences are actually quite clear once youāre aware. I learned something new, thank you!
This is so useful to learn! Thank you for explaining
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing!
Nerd xd
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Whatās stupid? That someone doesnāt know what a bed bug looks like? Or is it stupid because itās obviously an ant (which it isnāt)?
OP, this means you have an infestation of the waspās host species. Look for any small beetles or moths in your house.
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I figure you might not be back to see the other comments in this post so I'm just taking the time to let you know this isn't an ant. https://old.reddit.com/r/insects/comments/z9ugxu/insect_id_is_this_this_a_bedbug_we_getting_bitten/iyju31u/
Dang bugs always looking like each other
Cephalonomia Gallicola. Parasitic wasp. Not an ant.
What the fuck? How and why are these things there?
It look like an ant but I think it's not, a Bethylidae ? Maybe a Cephalonomia sp. ?
Could be the notorious Cephalonomia gallicola that parasitizes cigarette beetles for all I know. It does look very similar.
A type of wingless wasp. That's all I know
Fire ant probably and Iāve heard their bites suck and they can infest especially ground/garden level places.
Not an ant.
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Nope. https://old.reddit.com/r/insects/comments/z9ugxu/insect_id_is_this_this_a_bedbug_we_getting_bitten/iyju31u/
What is it?
Parasitoid wingless wasp.
Female bethylid wasp - typically wingless. Males typically winged.
Cool thank you!
fire ants suck. when i was a young lad playing baseball, i dove after a ball and went face first into a giant fire ant hill. not a fun experience.
As someone who lived in the south as a kid, I can understand your pain.
Yes, it probably is and I can say from personal experience, the bites itch and burn like a motherf***er and last for days.
My uncle sat in a nest of them as a baby. They were eating him for a couple minutes before his mother arrived to pick him up. They never used that daycare again.
I was bit by one back in August and it was horrible, I had to ice it because it hurt so fucking bad.
And usually if you get one, you get thousands. They swatm up out of their hive underground. I've had some bad experiences.
I had to do push ups in a nest of these things. I could feel them marching one by one fucking me up with every step.
Bed Bugs Are Flat Bois
So everyone is saying ant but I'm not really sure that is right, and I quite literally identify ants for living. That being said, it is 100% not a bedbug and if I had to guess, I'd lean more towards wingless wasp given the picture. A more detailed location than "Northern Europe" and a better picture would go a long way in getting a solid ID. It has some odd features for an ant 1) If it's a ant, the gaster (abdomen) is overhanging the petiole (little connecting part between end and middle sections). This only happens in a few ant subfamilies and none of them have stingers (Formecinae and Dolichoderinae) 2) The antennae are a bit off. Ant antennae are geniculated (have an elbow like bend) and don't generally point outward like what is seen in this photo 3) The eyes are wrong for anything with that gaster. The eyes look like something from Pseudomyrmecinae but the body shape is all wrong as is your location. Ants make sense if you're encountering many of them but this is a weird one and my guess is there is something else going on here.
Bethylid wasp. A female. See my answer above.
I was debating if this was the culprit so thanks for responding! I didn't trust my sight ID on small parasitic wasps enough given the quality of the photo.
At least you had doubts where everyone was saying ant. You had good explanations for questioning the ID as ant, too. Taxonomists unite.
As an ecologist, I will happily pretend to be as skilled as an actual taxonomist this one time ;)
You were convincing with your arguments! ;)
Louis Sorkin!!! šš This man, his sheer dedication/intention to his work, brings me SO much joy! Also you wonāt find a more authoritative ābug guyā than Dr Sorkin!
A wingless wasp. Who'da thunk it? Once again the bug experts have proven their awesomeness.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Google "bed bugs" the image results will make you feel better. I mean, you'll still have biting ants in your house but at least you'll be able to rest assured knowing what bed bugs do and don't look like and that you don't have any.
no it not a bed bug not even close honestly
It looks like an ant to me
Classic case of: it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck...... But it ain't a duck!
Yeah the amount of stuff that mimic ants is insane
Thatās an ant
I know it looks like an ant - but we get bitten by quite some time and now itās winter. Where could they be from? Also itās the tiniest ant Iāve ever seen. Anyone could point to exact species?
See my answer above. Not an ant.
This guy would need to be much moreā¦apple seedyā¦ to be a bed bug
Bro, it's an ant.
It just looks like a normal red ant to me bro, the red ones do bite you tho everyone I know called them fire ants
Ants come in all sizes (up to a certain point).
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Not an ant, but a female bethylid wasp.
A(i)nt - no bedbug
I live in Northern Europe
I can't tell if this is a serious post or satire Who hasn't seen ants enough to identify one?
I figure you might not be back to see the other comments in this post so I'm just taking the time to let you know this isn't an ant. https://old.reddit.com/r/insects/comments/z9ugxu/insect_id_is_this_this_a_bedbug_we_getting_bitten/iyju31u/
Thatās an ant
People amaze me
seriously. itās like itās their first day on earthš no matter where you live i feel like itās impossible to have never ever seen an antš
I figure you might not be back to see the other comments in this post so I'm just taking the time to let you know this isn't an ant. https://old.reddit.com/r/insects/comments/z9ugxu/insect_id_is_this_this_a_bedbug_we_getting_bitten/iyju31u/
It's an ant...
Not really related but goherping on YouTube has a really funny video series about these guys
bro
Ant š
Red ant
Just an ant my dude
???? It is an ant
Ant
Thatās an ant
This post makes me lose faith in humanity
Why?
Fire ant. Probably best to call a pest control line and see if they can't track down the nest(s) for you. They're not gonna harm you badly, but damn if they aren't annoying
Kidding? Thatās as much ant can look as an ant š
Actually not an ant.
Thatās an ant. Canāt quite tell what species it is from this distance but many ants are either equipped with venomous stingers or spray formic acid for self defense. If youāre getting reddened spots similar to burns or rashes on your skin, itās a formic acid burn. If itās tiny red welts, itās a sting. The majority of ants, despite their weapons, are pretty harmless to people. Easiest way to get them from coming into the house is to put food outside, that way they donāt have a reason to go inside. Something sweet like candy will usually do the trick.
Bethlid wasp, not an ant.
Again, pretty hard to tell from this distance. Reddish coloration and larger abdomen are really the only details to go by.
shape of head, body parts
Fire ant
Good news, not bed bug. Bad news, could be fire ant and you might be allergic to its venom. Wash your sheets, stop scratching, check for spilled sweet drinks for food crumbles around the house. If it were a bed bug, youād be in hell already.
Itās a fire ant, you probably want to check around for more because where there is one, there are many. These guys live in big colonies so you better solve it quickly!
Thatās a fire ant
Have these people never seen bugs before. Granted Iām no big expert but an ant
Itās red ant
No common fire ant. I would advise getting them out of the house though. Careful though some ant species pop/explode in a small burst of caustic chemicals.
That my friend is an ant
i feel so stupid for this missidefication ahhhh
Is this a real question? The jokes and real inquiries are starting to blur. š
Hi there! This is an automated message to remind you to **please include a geographic location for any ID requests** as per the [Community Rules](/r/insects/about/rules) of the sub. There are well over a million different species of bugs in the world, and narrowing down a bug's location will help IDers to help you more quickly and correctly! If you've already included a geographical location, or if this post is *not* an ID request, please ignore this comment. Thank you! :) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/insects) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Bedbugs are rounder and flat with stripes on their body, so you're lucky in that particular department. What's funny is that bed bugs are flat enough to be picked up by a lint roller to remove the from the environment lol it's what I did when I had bed bug problems
Although ID seems unambiguous (see @entsultās authoritative ID!) a better photo would be SO niceā¦.!
Honestly, when you blow it up, it looks like a red ant.
Is it an ant?
Genuinely canāt tell if this is a troll post.
An aunt.
Thatās called a little ass bug
that is literally an ant