red bug
Location: Anza, California
June 30, 2011 6:32 am
Hi,
Photographed this fast little thingy on our property last year. I’ve seen a couple of them before, but they always seem to escape the frame before I can capture more than their tail-end leaving the picture. Any ideas please?
Signature: Karen
Velvet Ant and California Harvester Ants
Hi Karen,
The big gal is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp that packs quite a painful sting. We believe the red ants are California Harvester Ants, Pogonomyrmex californicus, which also sting.
Thanks Daniel,
Love the site, by the way.
3
¶ Posted 30 June 2011 § Ants ‡ ° fuzzy ant?
Location: Nike Missle Site in California
June 7, 2011 9:45 pm
hi,
this thing was sighted at the Nike Missle Site yesterday (6/6/11) in California is it a giant fuzzy ant or something?
Signature: erin nicole
Velvet Ant
Hi Erin,
This is a flightless female wasp in the genus Dasymutilla, commonly called a Velvet Ant. There are several species in California with very similar markings and coloration. Alas, we are boarding a plane in a few hours and we cannot at this time provide you with a species identification for your Velvet Ant. Velvet Ants should not be handled as they are capable of delivering a very, very painful sting.
1
¶ Posted 08 June 2011 § ‡ ° A word of appreciation
May 30, 2011 2:48 pm
I just wanted to tell you that I love your site. I often spend hours on here, just randomly clicking on whatever catches my eye. I tell myself it’s not wasting time as it is educational! Last weekend I went to the Victoria Bug Zoo in Victoria, BC, Canada. In one of the tanks they had a Velvet Ant. I (apparantly out loud) exlaimed that they had a cow killer. The girl leading the tour was quite impressed, so thank you for making me look smart!
Lydia
Signature: Lydia B Green
Thanks for your kind email Lydia.
5
¶ Posted 30 May 2011 § ‡ ° Tagged: fanmail Unknown bug
Location: Southern Arizona
January 16, 2011 2:13 pm
Here’s a little guy I found in the lowlands of southern Arizona.
Signature: Richard
Velvet Ant
Hi Richard,
This little beauty is a Velvet Ant in the genus Dasymutilla, but we are unable to determine the exact species. We found at least three species on Bugguide with similar markings. Our leading candidate is Dasymutilla nogalensis which has been reported from Arizona on BugGuide. Another strong contender is Dasymutilla magnifica which BugGuide reports from California and Nevada as well as Arizona. Another look alike is Dasymutilla klugii which BugGuide does not report from Arizona, but which is reported from Colorado and Texas. Velvet Ants are actually flightless female wasps and they are reported to pack a wallop of a sting, so handle them with care. Interestingly, there is extreme sexual dimorphism in Velvet Ants and males which do not have a stinger possess wings. They are also often quite different in their markings from the females.
Velvet Ant
Thank you for supplying us with multiple camera angles.
Velvet Ant
5
¶ Posted 16 January 2011 § ‡ ° What the heck is this?
Location: Houston, TX
October 3, 2010 2:03 pm
My dad was outside and this bug started crawling towards him. I took him many tries for him to actually kill the bug so I’m sorry that the bug is torn up in these pictures. We’ve never seen one like it and we would really be interested in knowing. It looks kind of like a wingless wasp and has a stinger, but also looks like a spider.
Signature: Texas Girl
Velvet Ant Carnage
Dear Texas Girl,
These are the mutilated remains of a Velvet Ant, most likely a Cowkiller, so named because its sting is reported to be so painful. Velvet Ants are flightless female wasps. We hope we are never in a position to be approaching your father if it might incite a similar response of Unnecessary Carnage just because we might look unfamiliar or different. Granted, the sting of a Velvet Ant is reported to be quite painful, but it is not the intent of a Velvet Ant to sting indiscriminately, but rather, to sting if it feels threatened due to careless handling.
7
Fuzzy Red and Black ant looking thing
Location: North East Arkansas, United States
September 3, 2010 3:22 pm
Hi. I just found this little horror running around on my kitchen floor. I trapped him under a little plastic container and as soon as I did it started hissing at me! I could hear it from two feet away! Now when I hold the container to my ear (with a lid on of course) it’s constantly making this strange high pitched ’khtkhtkhtkht’ noise. It looks VERY mean. It’s roughly a half an inch long and maybe a little more than a quarter of an inch wide. Red and black striped, very mean looking.
Found in: North Eastern Arkansas
3:15pm
Signature: Jesse
Cow Killer
Hi Jesse,
This is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp in the family Mutillidae. It is a Cow Killer, Dasymutilla occidentalis, and it has earned its common name because the sting is reported to be extremely painful, so those warning colors are well earned. Our favorite part of your letter is your description of the noises made by your Cow Killer. The are able to make noise by stridulation or rubbing body parts together.
3
¶ Posted 04 September 2010 § ‡ ° Flightless Bee and large Velvet Ant?
Location: Sonoran Desert, Arizona
August 5, 2010 4:06 pm
I was camping in the Arizona Wilderness, just off of US93 on Wilderness Access Road 7469, when something bright red caught my eye on the ground. I stopped the Jeep and jumped out with my camera. I had no idea what it was, and trying to take a photo was comical, as it was scurrying about, non-stop! It looks like a bee with no wings, but it was the bright red bottom that amazed me. It is about 1 1/4” in length and has six legs. I have never seen anything like it. What is it?
BJ Roberts
Velvet Ant
Hi BJ,
Based on photos posted to BugGuide, your Velvet Ant may be Dasymutilla nogalensis.
1
¶ Posted 05 August 2010 § ‡ ° Velvet Ant in Sonoma County?
Location: Sonoma Mountan Range, California
July 31, 2010 3:07 pm
Hi, I found this fuzzy ant-like insect in a grassy meadow in jack london state park. Earlier this summer I saw one on the same mountain range a little north in Santa Rosa, also on open meadow. What is it? Looks like a ”velevet ant” but do you know the species? The camera was on a weird setting, so the light is a little orange, but I tried to adjust it to be more accurate
Mollyanne Meyn
Velvet Ant
Hi Mollyanne,
You are correct that this is a Velvet Ant. We tried to color correct your image. It appears that your specimen might be in the genus Pseudomethoca which is represented on BugGuide. We would greatly welcome any input from experts in the family Mutillidae to assist in a proper species identification.
Thanks Daniel, from other on the site, it looks most like anthracina to me. I love this website and service. many thanks for the response.
1
¶ Posted 01 August 2010 § ‡ ° 
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