Velvet Ants Archives - What's That Bug?

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Velvet Ant

On May 3, 2013 · Category: Velvet Ants · Add Comment

Subject: Curious about an unknown bug
Location: Found hidden in the dirt.
May 3, 2013 12:26 am
Hello, bugman. I was wondering around in the backyard earlier today and I found this very interesting bug. I’m not sure what it really is, but i was really curious to find out. I captured it and now I have it in a open container I made for it. I asked some friends and family if they might know it but no. I tried finding pictures or websites that might help me identify the bug, but no help. Then I ran into whatsthatbug.com! I’m not really sure how to explain what type of bug it is but to me, it looks like a bee or a fly mixed with another insect. I’m not too sure, but i’ll leave it to the experts! I’d love to hear back! Thank you so much!
Signature: Miguel

Velvet Ant

Dear Miguel,
Handle this gal with caution. She is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp reported to have a very painful sting. We don’t want to try to identify your Velvet Ant to the species level without a location. If you are in Arizona, this might be Dasymutilla eminentia which is pictured on BugGuide.

Velvet Ant

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Velvet Ant from South Africa

On December 29, 2012 · Category: Velvet Ants · Add Comment

Subject: ant
Location: St Lucia, South Africa
December 28, 2012 12:33 pm
What k7nd of ant is this.
Signature: any

Velvet Ant

Dear any,
This is a Velvet Ant in the family Mutillidae, a flightless female wasp (males have wings) that is reported to have an incredibly painful sting, if they are anything like their North American relatives.

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Velvet Ant

On September 19, 2012 · Category: Velvet Ants · Add Comment

Subject: Velvet Ant
Location: Cookeville, TN
September 18, 2012 9:58 am
I was recently camping in Cookeville, TN when this colorful bug came running through our campsite. A couple days later I was able to identify it as a female Red Velvet Ant. I thought you may like to have these photos for your archives.
Sorry they aren’t a little more focused, the pics were taken on my phone and that little bugger is FAST!
I heard rumors that the blue ones lived there too but I wasn’t lucky enough to see one.
Signature: Lex

Velvet Ant

Hi Lex,
Thanks for sending in your photo. It nicely depicts the coloration and markings of the Velvet Ant commonly called a Cowkiller.

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Velvet Ant and (almost) Mating Mud Daubers

On August 1, 2012 · Category: Thread Waisted Wasps, Velvet Ants Tagged With: bug love · Add Comment

Subject: A velvet ant & unrequited wasp love. Attempt number two.
Location: Palmyra, NJ & Philadelphia, PA
July 31, 2012 11:58 am
Please forgive me if these two photos have been previously received. I attempted to submit these late last week, however I didn’t get a confirmation E-mail so I’m not sure if my submission was successful.
The photos were taken on Sunday July 22, 2012. The first one was taken at Palmyra Cove Nature Park in Palmyra, NJ. (Had I realized that August’s bug of the month was the cow killer I would have taken a few photos of that species when I was there yesterday.) It took two trips to the park and three encounters with this particular species of velvet ant before I was able to get a photo of it.
The 1st time we came across one, she ran and hid in her burrow before I was able to get my phone out and snap a photo.
The 2nd encounter was in a grassy area & due to the grass obstructing the wasp I wasn’t able to capture a photo. I tried to coax her out into the open using a small twig, but she started to make an audible squeaking sound that told me that it was time to back off.
Finally on the third encounter, we found one in an open sandy area. Though she tried to run, she had more than enough space to run for me to have the time to get out my phone and take a picture.
After doing some research, with the aid of your site, I believe that I’ve identified her as Dasymutilla Vesta. Though, I could easily be wrong as I am no expert on insects.
After returning home from the park I noticed this pair of what I believe are black and yellow mud daubers trying to get busy on the Helenium that I planted a few years ago. Though, I’m not sure if the female was interested. The male was jabbing away furiously at the female’s abdomen but he never seemed to find his mark. Perhaps we killed the mood by barging in on them, or perhaps she had a headache.
I’ve taken a few other photos of some other insects at Palmyra Cove that I wouldn’t mind sharing with you, provided that multiple submissions from one individual wouldn’t be a nuisance. I honestly think that I’m one of the few people who go to that park mainly to see the insect life over any of the other wildlife that lives there.
Thank you for your time.
Signature: Dave

Velvet Ant

Hi Dave,
Thanks for your persistence. We did receive your original submission, and we intended to post it, but alas, we didn’t get to it and suddenly your email got buried under the deluge of summer identification requests we receive. Thank you again for resending. We cannot for certain identify the Velvet Ant to the species level, but another possibility based on BugGuide images and range information might be the genus Ephuta. We have heard the squeaking noise you describe and for such tiny creatures, Velvet Ants are able to make a disproportionate amount of noise. We will nonetheless tag this as a Bug Love entry even though you didn’t actually capture the mating act with your camera. We would love to receive other submissions from you, especially of species that are not well represented on our site or images that are exceptional for other reasons.
Please in the future, only submit one specimen at a time. We like to have each posting be a distinct species unless there is some relationship between two species that is significant.

Black and Yellow Mud Daubers

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Bug of the Month August 2012: Cow Killer, a Velvet Ant

On July 30, 2012 · Category: Velvet Ants Tagged With: bug of the month · 2 Comments

Subject: Nebraska bug
Location: Beatrice NE
July 30, 2012 1:51 pm
Hello bugman,
I was working in Beatrice NE and spotted a wonderful looking orange and black bug and was hoping you could tell me what it is.
Signature: Regards,

Cow Killer

We cannot help but to wonder if you were fortuitously wearing heavy gloves when you discovered this Velvet Ant that is commonly called a Cow Killer, or if you donned the gloves because the aposomatic or warning coloration caused you to suspect you might need them. Velvet Ants are flightless female wasps that are reported to deliver a very painful sting if they are carelessly handled. We have heard several different origins to the common name Cow Killer, and both seem plausible. One explanation is that the sting is so painful, it could kill a cow, though that is something of an exaggeration, and the second explanation we have heard is that the sting could contribute to the death of a cow when the cow reacts to the sting. The stung cow might run into a ditch or in front of a car or otherwise injure itself to the point that it must be euthanized. You can read more about the Cow Killer, Dasymutilla occidentalis, by referring to BugGuide. We decided several years ago that the reputed pain of the Cow Killer’s sting warrants it a spot on our Big 5 list of the most dangerous insects and arthropods. Since we receive so many Cow Killer reports in August, we have decided to tag your submission as the Bug of the Month for August 2012.

Thank you for the bug identification,
A gentleman I was working with was fortuitously wearing the gloves but felt more comfortable picking the velvet ant up because he had them on. He was very noticeable located in a non vegetated area next to a large industrial complex out in the agricultural fields surrounding Beatrice NE. Thank you for your assistance in identifying this bug and I look forward to using your website in the future.
Regards,
Lars Smith, Project Scientist
Sand Creek Consultants, Inc.

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Cowkiller

On August 22, 2011 · Category: Velvet Ants · Add Comment

Weird lookin bug!
August 20, 2011
So we just pulled into a campsite outside of Mobil, Alabama and saw this little guy running around. Never seen them were I’m from any ideas?
Thanks
Sean Reid

Cowkiller

Hi Sean,
We hope our response got to you before you tried picking up this Velvet Ant. Velvet Ants are flightless female wasps and they can sting. This species, Dasymutilla occidentalis, is reported to have a sting that is so painful they are called Cowkillers. Once a reader supplied a comment that when cows get stung, they often begin running, sometimes falling down and injuring themselves to the point that they have to be put down, hence the name Cowkiller.

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Velvet Ant

On August 16, 2011 · Category: Velvet Ants · Add Comment

Possible fire ant
Location: Memphis tn
August 15, 2011 11:31 pm
My brother was laying on the floor playing with his Ipod and felt something crawly on him he shifts and next thing he knows lots of pain. I would like yo know what bug this is. I stomped it 6 times and it’s still alive. Under further investigation I saw it had a red 2mm long and .1mm or smaller wide singer (not visible in picture) which was completely retractable into the abdoment.
Signature: Ender670

Velvet Ant

Dear Ender670,
This is not a Fire Ant. It is a Velvet Ant, but Velvet Ants are not true ants. They are flightless female wasps, which is why your brother got stung. The sting is reported to be very painful. We believe your species is Dasymutilla quadriguttata based on images posted to BugGuide.

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Velvet Ant

On August 10, 2011 · Category: Velvet Ants · 2 Comments

Big red ant
Location: Wichita, Kansas, USA
August 9, 2011 11:31 am
I have seen a few of these big red ants in my finished basement in Kansas lately. It has been a record-setting hot summer, so we have spent a lot of time in the cooler basement. I live on the outskirts of Wichita, with a wheat field adjoining our property.
The first time I saw one of these, I squished it with my finger. Actually, I thought I killed it, but I didn’t. I picked it up after stunning it, I guess, and it bit (or stung) me. Then I tried again with something hard, and it made quite a crunch.
Today, my children caught one in a plastic baggie, so I have been trying to identify it.
My first thought after internet searching was a velvet ant, but it is not that fuzzy and the stripe on the ant does not match the pictures I have found.
It is about 1/2” long. The other one might have been slightly bigger. The main color is an orangish red or rust red. There is a definite white stripe, with black at the end of the last body segment.
Can you identify it for me?
(Sorry about the picture quality, but I didn’t want to let it out of the baggie.) The orange lines are 1/8” on a ruler.
Signature: Nancy

Velvet Ant

Hi Nancy,
This is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp, and the sting is reported to be quite painful. Not all Velvet Ants are as fuzzy as the commonly pictured Cow Killer. We will eventually try to identify the species. It resembles Dasymutilla nigripes which is pictured on BugGuide.

Thank you. I believe you are correct. That photo matches much better. And the sting did hurt a lot. My finger was sore for about 20 minutes, I would guess.
Nancy Reeves

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Velvet Ant

Velvet Ant from South Africa

Velvet Ant

Velvet Ant and (almost) Mating Mud Daubers

Bug of the Month August 2012: Cow Killer, a Velvet Ant

Cowkiller

Velvet Ant

Velvet Ant

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