Ant Nest Beetle vs European Ash Bark Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ant Nest Beetle European Ash Bark Beetle
Scientific Name Paussus favieri Hylesinus varius
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Carabidae Curculionidae (Scolytinae)
Size 5-8mm 2.5–3.5 mm
Habitat Heathland Hedgerows
Diet Predators Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, Africa Europe
Conservation Data Deficient Not Evaluated

Ant Nest Beetle

A bizarre reddish-brown beetle with swollen club-shaped antennae that lives inside ant nests. It mimics ant chemical signals to avoid detection.

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Did You Know?

It secretes chemicals from its antennae that drug the ants into a stupor allowing it to freely eat their brood.

European Ash Bark Beetle

A bark beetle that colonizes ash trees across Europe. It creates star-shaped brood galleries radiating from a central egg chamber.

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Did You Know?

Its distinctive star-shaped gallery pattern makes it one of the easiest bark beetles to identify from feeding traces.