Winged ant or wasp?

[jmathos]

Hi there,

I know these arent the best photos, so let me know if yall need me to retake them. I found this insect dead by our kitchen window. I had found a carpenter ant before in the basement so just wanted to verify this is not a carpenter ant. Plus, out of curiosity, whether it's even an ant at all!

It's about a 1/4 inch long. I think I kind of see a stinger, but it's so small for a wasp... I also dont think I see any nodes on the petiole which is my main confusion/curiosity about identifying ants vs other insects.

photos.app.goo.gl/viisVpUaAkZa86K88
photos.app.goo.gl/iHeZyQ7mDmhu13tM8

Thanks for any input!

[livingplanet3]

Jul 26, 2021 8:17:19 GMT -8 jmathos said:

Hi there,

I know these arent the best photos, so let me know if yall need me to retake them. I found this insect dead by our kitchen window. I had found a carpenter ant before in the basement so just wanted to verify this is not a carpenter ant. Plus, out of curiosity, whether it's even an ant at all!

It's about a 1/4 inch long. I think I kind of see a stinger, but it's so small for a wasp... I also dont think I see any nodes on the petiole which is my main confusion/curiosity about identifying ants vs other insects.

photos.app.goo.gl/viisVpUaAkZa86K88
photos.app.goo.gl/iHeZyQ7mDmhu13tM8

Thanks for any input!

Definitely a small, solitary wasp of some kind - not a carpenter ant.

[jmathos]

Okay thanks, I thought so but just havent found any possible 1/4 inch black wasp species in the northern Illinois region (where I'm at).

If anyone who stumbles upon this thread has a guess on the species, I would love to hear it, just out of curiosity. Thanks!