Can Someone Please ID This Bug

MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 18:45
Last edited 22/09/2025 - 12:33 by 1 other user

Was taking in the laundry and the clothes were covered in these bugs. Can someone please ID it, someone said its termite that has dropped wings and im worried.

https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/126302/124160/20250921…

https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/126302/124159/20250921…

https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/126302/124161/20250921…

https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/126302/124162/20250921…

https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/126302/124161/20250921…

Now i did have a 8 year termite barrier done 2/3 years ago HOWEVER we totally dug out our front and concreted most over except the verge. The garage beyond is all still protected. I found these in the backyard

Home & Garden Bug

Comments

  • SBOB on 21/09/2025 - 18:53
    +11

    Can Someone Please ID This Bug

    Probably need a face shot to get a proper id. Gonna just be guessing it's name based on those photos.

    • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 18:54

      My camera isnt that good :< i do have a few other angles, updated

  • Far Cough on 21/09/2025 - 19:00
    +3

    It looks like one of those ants that can fly

    • simplystu on 21/09/2025 - 19:25

      reckon you are fairly close with that … but not quite (their body shape is oversized).
      Where are those AI image compare bots ???

      Use to often see VERY VERY similar - around horseriding stables in WA some years ago.

      [EDIT] : as per google … Termite barrier won't work … as completely different species.

    • SBOB on 21/09/2025 - 19:30

      Looks a little similar

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom_Ant

  • Xistn on 21/09/2025 - 19:00
    +2

    Earwig

    • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 19:04

      Is that the same family as a rove beetle. I just remembered to ask chatgpt lol

    • Sunny84 on 21/09/2025 - 20:18
      -1

      Correct.

  • theHMASfriendship on 21/09/2025 - 19:09
    +16

    That’s Gary he’s fallen on hard times, Linda took the kids and the house

    • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 19:16

      Is the one on the shorts Linda, since she wore the pants in the relationship?

    • Bruceflix on 21/09/2025 - 21:06
      -1

      His mates call him Gazza

  • HerpinDerp on 21/09/2025 - 19:25

    Lol just touch it and enjoy the surprise.

  • AustriaBargain on 21/09/2025 - 19:26

    ChatGPT 5 says bark beetle. It says your clothes will be fine, but you should check trees on your property for evidence of bark beetle activity (boring holes, sawdust-like frass). It also says bark beetles are not a threat to wooden framed houses.

    • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 19:36

      Hmm my chatgpt says Rove beetle. But as long as it doesnt eat my house (and clothes), i can stop worrying

      • AustriaBargain on 21/09/2025 - 19:58

        My ChatGPT 5 says: "Based on what I see, it’s much more likely a bark beetle than a rove beetle. If it were a rove beetle, you’d clearly see the short wing cases and exposed, flexible abdomen. Yours doesn’t have that."

        And it generated this annotated image: https://imgur.com/a/b0o4TbB

        • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 20:39

          That head looks pretty different, its like connected to the segment, but mines like a defined round and then body segment

          • AustriaBargain on 21/09/2025 - 20:50
            +1

            @MeesusEff: Okay now mine is convinced it is a rove beetle. And this time it gave me this image https://imgur.com/a/ovJg423

            • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 20:54

              @AustriaBargain: Ok yep looks more like the right side one lol. But i wonder if it just didnt generate the first photo properly

              • AustriaBargain on 21/09/2025 - 21:00

                @MeesusEff: I don't even know if either image is proper. Maybe this is beyond Chat's abilities. Not convinced longandag is a word either.

                • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 21:02

                  @AustriaBargain: Can you ask with this close up? I ran out of uploads 😬 n LOL i googled and only Long Dog came up

                  https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/126302/124168/screensh…

                  • AustriaBargain on 21/09/2025 - 21:48

                    @MeesusEff: It still thinks it's a rove beetle. I have been giving it the context of being in WA btw. It's asking for higher quality top-down photos to determine the exact species of rove beetle.

                    • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 22:18

                      @AustriaBargain: I just found the biggest one in my upstairs bathroom! Kinda feeling stuffed as i didnt even go there after getting the clothes so where did it come from… I managed to get better pictures i added it to the bottom of the post. Had a better look and the new one looks more like a flying ant and the outside one looks like the right one of this

                      https://www.reddit.com/r/perth/s/E2hklyIWYA

                      • AustriaBargain on 22/09/2025 - 10:31

                        @MeesusEff: Still says rove beetle. Here's the full reply for posterity:

                        That’s a really good thought — termite alates (the winged “swarmers”) do drop their wings after flight and can then look confusingly like other small, dark insects. Let’s break it down using your new photo and the ant vs termite diagram:

                        🔍 Features in Your Photo
                        • Head: Distinct, rounded, visible.
                        • Antennae: Appear straight but clearly segmented, not bead-like.
                        • Body: Elongated with a clear thorax and abdomen separation. The waist is narrow, not thick.
                        • Wings: None visible — but there’s no sign of the stubs or bases you’d normally see on a termite that just shed wings.

                        🐜 Termite vs Rove Beetle
                        • Termite alate (after wing drop): Has a thick waist, bead-like straight antennae, and a more uniform, soft-bodied look. Even without wings, they appear pale/soft and have a very different texture.
                        • Your insect: Has a clearly defined head, a narrower waist, and harder, shinier exoskeleton. That is not typical of termites.

                        ✅ Conclusion

                        This is not a termite alate.
                        The shape, defined head, and narrow waist line up with a rove beetle (Staphylinidae), not a termite.

                        ⸻

                        👉 So, you don’t need to worry about termite infestation from these. They’re harmless predators and just happened to swarm onto your laundry.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 21/09/2025 - 19:28

    I think it's an insect. Maybe contact an Entomologist

  • Baysew on 21/09/2025 - 19:54
    +1

    Can I have a MS Paint please.

  • OutOfTime on 21/09/2025 - 20:52

    Reverse google searched - this is the closest match https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcoin/52781780441

    Most likely some kind of termite as you said (that dropped its wings)

    https://www.reddit.com/r/perth/comments/1gqd5vx/rove_beetle_… : It’s a termite - note the characteristic antennae and rounded bottom. If you flip it over its belly should be a lighter or creamier colour than the top.

    • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 20:58

      Hmm yes it does look like that, not sure about the antennae as its hard to see

      I asked my chatgpt and it said this

      Here’s how you can tell the difference between a termite dealate (shed-wing alate) and a rove beetle like in your photos:

      🔹 Termite dealates (shed-wing alates):

      Body is soft, pale to brown, evenly broad (no obvious narrow “waist”).

      Antennae are straight or slightly beaded (not elbowed).

      Wing scars can sometimes be seen where wings broke off.

      They move slower, more clumsy.

      🔹 Your insect (in the photos):

      Looks hard-bodied and shiny, like a beetle, not soft like a termite.

      Distinct narrow waist and clear separation of thorax and abdomen.

      Short wing covers (elytra) leaving most of the abdomen exposed — classic of a rove beetle.

      Antennae appear segmented and slightly clubbed, not beaded like termites.

      Ok ive zoomed in and one side looks beaded. But i ran out if chatgpt uploads lol

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 21/09/2025 - 21:36

    Looks like a rove beetle to me. Common in coastal areas in/near major cities and you appear to be in Perth so that checks out.

    • MeesusEff on 21/09/2025 - 22:19

      I found a huge one in my bathroom, it looks like it has wings? 😭 Ive uploaded 2 new photos at the bottom of my post.

      Edit : had a better look and they look different, like a flying ant vs termite/rove

      https://www.reddit.com/r/perth/s/E2hklyIWYA

  • cashless on 21/09/2025 - 23:02

    My biggest concern here is how are you going to wash that stain out of the T-shirt?

  • JIMB0 on 22/09/2025 - 06:38

    🐜🐞🪲🕷️🦗🐝🪳
    That’s clearly the first one - Anthony the Ant.

  • mamayoukero on 22/09/2025 - 08:27
    -1

    As Xstin above said, the first 5 pictures are called earwig.
    2 new photos are ants. Which species? I am not sure.

  • warkolm on 22/09/2025 - 10:09
    -1

    that's a duck

  • happydude on 22/09/2025 - 11:11

    Carpenter Ant - Google Lens

  • foursaken on 22/09/2025 - 11:35

    Call a pest controller.

    If you have termites, you're in a large amount of do do. And that looks like a termite. It may not be the wood eating kind though.

    I've just seen someone go through an infestation and it's expensive and not fun.

    • joelmuzz on 22/09/2025 - 14:31
      +1

      Flying termites are not a concern, they are swarming everywhere late spring and summer.
      The whole reason you have ant capping, keep it dry, long life poison and baits under the house is to stop them establishing.
      Having them land in your yard is inevitable.

      Not unless you see them coming out of the ground/wall near the house.

      • rave75 on 22/09/2025 - 16:02

        Yes, flying termites, also known as alates, are a clear and significant indication of a termite infestation, as they are the male and female termites that emerge from a mature colony to find a mate and establish a new one. The presence of these winged insects around your home means there is an active, established colony nearby or possibly within your structure, posing a risk of structural damage.

  • ReaperX22 on 22/09/2025 - 12:03

    https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/a…

    Maybe? Based in your latest photos

    Pretty sure they're different bugs tho lol

    • MeesusEff on 22/09/2025 - 12:32

      Yes my bad when I looked properly the 2nd lot was different from the first.

  • dlakers3peat on 22/09/2025 - 13:05

    Devil's Coach-horse Beetle

  • rave75 on 22/09/2025 - 16:02

    that looks like a flying termite.

  • PS2isBetterthanPS3 on 22/09/2025 - 16:44

    this sort of thing Chatgpt is good at aswell as theres many termite and bug sub reddits which help identify things like carpet bugs etc.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join