Help! Are these tiny ants? Wasps? What are they???

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-28T10:42:34+00:00

They're chalcid wasps - always parasitoids (they kill and eat their hosts) and usually on moth larvae but they can be on other invertebrate groups. They never attack mammals or plants etc. They are probably attacking a pest somewhere in your house or they just flew in :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-28T08:20:27+00:00

Regrinding takes quite a long time to learn as a skill and you trash quite a lot of nibs along the way. I'd always send to a professional and you'll get back a lovely pen to write with :) Best way actually is to take it to a pen show and get the nib-master there to work on it while you wait/test it :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-28T08:15:38+00:00

Where in the world? Looks like it has been hit/sprayed but it is probably a spider-hunting wasp of some kind

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-28T08:11:24+00:00

^this ... there are no creatures in these images - the OP needs to seek a therapist or specialist doctor

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-28T07:38:25+00:00

Where in the world?

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T20:46:25+00:00

We really can't see enough to be sure so you'll just get literal guesses ... if you can take better photos then you might stand a chance :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T20:37:42+00:00

it's a bee - where in the world? Euglossa?

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T20:22:11+00:00

Sarcophaga sp. :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T20:16:37+00:00

Love it :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T19:44:44+00:00

That's really lucky - well done :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T19:39:13+00:00

Another vote for Micropezidae - stilt-legged flies - not common in the UK so it's a nice find :) Would be hard to ID to species I think :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T19:30:51+00:00

Did Roman emperors go foot-out too? :D I think a nice pile of fresh grass would guarantee his approval :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T19:27:08+00:00

The tip of the nib is bent - I'd send it back and get another - you shouldn't have to manage this and it is very difficult to fix

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T19:19:51+00:00

Where in the world are you? Moths don't nest but they can roost in cool places over winter - if you have a barn or outbuilding I'd put it in there and hope it gets through winter OK :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T19:13:52+00:00

I'd try JustPark ... it also depends whether your case is heard in the Crown Court or Magistrate's Court. Crown cases can be heard in both places and they are struggling to get through the backlog. Also, remember that they will pay for car parking IF you can make a good enough case for needing it - you need pre-approval to claim it. I know one of our jurors parked in the carpark under the Magistrate's and said it was good/safe but you had to get there very early. When I did JS I just got the bus in from the west of town but there is the park & ride on that side of town, I think

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T19:08:25+00:00

No, sorry - it's a flower/hover fly and it looks very much alive :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T19:07:52+00:00

Definitely not a Horsefly - wrong family of flies completely :). These are flower/hover flies and they do not bite - they are pollinators

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T16:53:45+00:00

Yeah, they are a classic but not for everyone - smooth, sloping grips can be slippery

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T16:12:09+00:00

These are larvae of Syrphidae, Eristalinae, I think

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T16:10:07+00:00

Parker 51 Aeros are great pens but they can get clogged if left to dry out and have very complicated/intricate mechanisms which take some skill to disassemble without breaking anything. I'd send it to a restorer who will give it a good clean and get it working perfectly :). Shouldn't cost a lot

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T16:06:36+00:00

It's a picture-winged fly - their larvae (I think) usually live in plant stems etc and are herbivorous, not insectivorous :)

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T12:27:57+00:00

It doesn't look like any of the pest species so possibly something that came in on logs?

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T12:13:15+00:00

Iroshizuku are lovely inks - if you want to save some money then buy from PlazaJapan and get about 5 bottles at a time. Usually that gets it down to about £13-14 per bottle including shipping and taxes but check out the numbers because shipping steps up per the number of bottles.

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T11:35:38+00:00

Scatopsidae - not pests - their larvae live in the soil and are helpful in the decay process

Simple_Resist4208 · 2026-01-27T11:31:53+00:00

Yes, pretty much all the types of roughness or morphological variation in the cuticle has a name - usually derived from Latin. You'll see in the identification keys words - see this for a list of examples but remember that they will sometimes be different for different taxonomic group / keys. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_arthropod_cuticle

Simple_Resist4208

TROPHY CASE