Male Velvet Ant
(07/18/2008) male cowkiller
I could not find out what this was until I reached your site.  Thank you.  I'm afraid the guy was dead when I found him, but no one else knew he was special.  He's going into my "When I Met You, You were Already Dead" collection!
kim smith
mcdonough, GA



Hi Kim,
While this is certainly a male Velvet Ant, it might be a species other than a Cowkiller. We are not certain. We love your "When I Met You, You were Already Dead" collection.

Cow Killer: Handle with Care!!!
(06/15/2008) Thought you might like this
I've attached a picture that we took of a "Cow-killer", aka "Velvet ant".  Thought you might like it.
Stefan Bowers



hi Stefan,
We will happily post your photo, but we need to caution our readers not to mishandle this female Velvet Wasp as she can deliver a painful sting if provoked.

Velvet Ant
(04/16/2008) I'm stumped
Hello,
I found your cool site on the web, but a cursory search of a few of the categories did not turn up anything. Can you help me to identify this guy?: Location: Henry Coe SP, Northern California
About 1 cm long red on both ends, with black in the middle furry moves pretty quickly Thanks!
Chris



Hi Chris,
This is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp with a painful sting. We haven't the time to research the exact species at the moment.

Unknown Velvet Ant from Arizona
(04/01/2008) Velvet ant
Greetings, I am having trouble with the identification of this velvet ant.  It loves to have a little mist along with it's fruit nectar. So as you scroll down the hair gets drier in each photo.  I believe it to be in the Dasymutilla family but can't key it out with the books that I have at my disposal.  Your help with the identification would be greatly appreciated.  Neat little gal. Thanks for your help and great web site, sincerely,
Jerry Schudda 
Tucson, Arizona



Hi Jerry,
We could not find a convincing match for your Velvet Ant on the BugGuide pages, though Dasymutilla coccineohirta looks close. Perhaps Eric Eaton will be able to assist us.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 1. dasymutilla coccineohirta. hope this helps a bit.

Male Velvet Ant
(01/03/2008) what's this hymenopteran?
Hi,
Can you tell me what this insect is?  Missing a hindwing.  I found it in Osoyoos, BC, Canada. Thanks,
Mikel Lefler



Hi Mikel,
Velvet Ants are flightless female wasps in the family Mutillidae. The males have wings. This is a male Velvet Ant. We cannot tell you the exact species, but it bears an uncanny resemblance to a mounted male Dasymutilla quadrigutta pictured on BugGuide.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 2. probably dasymutilla vesta, need more specific location. hope this helps a bit.

Two Different Velvet Ants
(12/07/2007) Large red ant This time, with photo!
Hi
I found this ant crawling through my hallway and have tried unsuccessfully to identify it.  Can you help?  It is about 1/2 inch long.  I thought it might be some type of carpenter ant; they are pretty common around here.  This little guy has a very distinctive white stripe around his abdomen, though, and I couldn't find anything similar in my bug books or online.  Thank you!
Mandy
Cedar Hill, TX
p.s.:  Sorry, I forgot to attach the photo the first time



Hi Mandy,
Though it looks like an ant, and is called a Velvet Ant, your insect is a flightless female wasp. Be careful, as she can deliver a very painful sting.

(12/08/2007) Large red ant
I'm sorry, but I don't think so.  I know what velvet ants look like, I have had them in my yard. (see attached photo) I know they are actually wingless wasps.  They are much bigger, and much hairier than this bug.  This guy is large for an ant, but only 1/2 inch.  I know it looks large in the picture, but I had a hard time putting something next it for size contrast since it wouldn't be still.
Mandy



Hi again Mandy,
We gave you a very general answer. Velvet Ants are a family of wasps, the females of which are generally brightly colored and flightless. The family is Mutillidae. Your original image might be in the genus Timulla, or the genus Pseudomethoca, or perhaps some other genus. We are not sure of the species. Your second photo is also a Velvet Ant, and this one is in the genus Dasymutilla. It appears to be a Cow Killer, Dasymutilla occidentalis, but the photo is too blurry to be certain. So both of your images are of Velvet Ants, but they are different species.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. 3. sphaeropthalma pensylvanica.
image 4. could be either dasymutilla californica, coccineohirta, or vestita depending on local. hope this helps a bit. hope this helps a bit.

Male Velvet Ant
(11/05/2007) Male velvet ant?
Hi,
I love spotting the occasional red velvet ant on my weekly Soberanes trail hike (about 10 mi. south of Carmel, CA), and recently saw one for the first time with wings (but couldn't get my camera out before it disappeared). I've since learned the winged ones are males. The attached photo was taken at the Elkhorn Slough Nature Preserve (near Moss Landing, CA) on the afternoon of Oct. 28, 2007. This time I had time to get some shots. He was moving fast, and this was the only halfway decent one of the 8 or so I took.
Kevin



Hi Kevin,
This is indeed a male Velvet Ant, but we are not certain what species. Perhaps it is Dasymutilla coccineohirta.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 5. Dasymutilla aureola. hope this helps a bit.

Velvet Ant
(09/10/2007) hairy insect
Hi there Bug folks!
I searched all over your website for a hairy insect like this one and didn't see it anywhere. I found it at the top of a small mountain just yesterday (Sept 10th) in the Bay Area in California. It looks like a huge ant that needs a haircut! Please help me identify this bug. Love your website, this is my 2nd submission! Thanks,
Lyndie



Hi Lyndie,
What a wonderful photo of a Velvet Ant, Dasymutilla sackenii, a flightless female wasp with a painful sting.

Velvet Ant
(07/31/2007) some sort of furry ant
Saw this bug in Bend, OR.  Is it a type of ant?  What is it called?
Lisa Ray



Hi Lisa,
This is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp. We believe it might be Dasymutilla sackenii. It ranges from Baja to Oregon and is white in the southern portion of its range and more golden in the northern portion of its range.

Cowkiller: Male of the Species
(07/25/2007) Red Velvet Ant
Found these males leaving a hole in my garden floor.
Rick



Hi Rick,
We rarely get images of the male Cowkiller.

 I did not give much information with the pictures. I live in Alexandria, Al. The pictures were taken July 25, 2007 around 1600 hrs. (4:00 PM).  Yesterday, July 26, 2 females were in the grass near my garden. They move so fast it was hard to get a good picture. I will try to look at the ones I got this afternoon. I'll gladly send them to you if you are interested.

Cow Killer
(07/21/2007) Red Velvet Ant
I was looking online for what this awesome looking insect was called.  I love ants and it looks like one but behaved like a wasp.  It would move quickly with the abdomen upright.  I saw everyones pictures and sure now that this is what it is.  It was difficult to photograph because of its irratic movements.
Daniel



Hi Daniel,
Your Velvet Ant is a Cow Killer, Dasymutilla occidentalis. Obviously, the quality of your photographs must rise with the level of difficulty, since the detail on your photograph is awesome.

Velvet Ant
(07/19/2007) Arizona insect
I was recently in Arizona and while in the Flagstaff area I came across this bug and was wondering if you could help me identify it.  I have tried looking online but can ’t find anything like it. Thank you for your time,
Dawn Webb



Hi Dawn,
This is a flightless female wasp known as a Velvet Ant. We believe it is Dasymutilla klugii based on an image on BugGuide.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 10. Dasymutilla Magnifica, klugii is more restricted to Texas. hope this helps a bit.

Velvet Ant
(07/16/2007) What is it?
Hello!
I was playing with my toddler in the living room, and this little guy stung me on the hand. I haven't been able to identify him, and wondered if you could help? We live in Middle Tennessee. I didn't see it at first, but felt a sudden burning sensation in my hand. A short investigation revealed this critter under a sofa pillow. It's behavior reminds me of a wasp though there are no wings. It actually moves much like a velvet ant we saw a few weeks ago, but isn't as large nor as brilliantly colored. The abdomen is yellow and black striped with a red head and thorax. I apologize for the graininess of the pictures! Thanks!
H Davis



Hi H.,
This is most definitely a Velvet Ant which explains the Wasp-like behavior. We cannot determine the species, or even the genus, since the quality of the image is not real sharp. Our first inclination is that it might be in the genus Timulla, but it even resembles some members of the genus Dasymutilla.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 11. is definitely Timulla. hope this helps a bit.

Update: Velvet Ant
(07/21/2008) Timulla grotei
Finally! After you helped me identify the species of velvet ant that stung me one summer despite my poor photo, it has been my mission in life to get a better quality photo of Timulla grotei if you should want it. After many failed attempts at phographing this fast-moving wasp, I finally got a lady who was relatively still for my camera. She didn't smile and insisted on waving those antennae, but here she is... and no stings this time.
Heather



Hi Heather,
While we are impressed with your determination, and honored that you felt it was important enough to provide What's That Bug? with a sharper image, we think you have set too low a goal for your life's mission. Now that this milestone has been accomplished, we are confident you will accomplish truly great things. Thanks again for providing us with a clear image of Timulla grotei from Tennessee.

Male Velvet Ant
(07/03/2007) Red Velvet Wasp with Wings?
I saw this on my porch and it scared me to death.  The coloring matches the Red Velvet Wasp but isn't it supposed to be wingless?



Hi Melanie,
Male Velvet Ants are winged and females are flightless. This is a male Cow Killer, Dasymutilla occidentalis.

Sacken's Velvet Ant
(07/01/2007) Bug...unknown
Bugman,
I am not sure if I sent the first one correctly.  Here are the photo's of a very strange looking bug.  I am not sure if it is an ant,beetle or some kind of wingless bee?  Is a bug in it's developing stage?  Will it morph later on?  I live in the high desert.  Hesperia, CA.  I found it while rock hunting around my area. Please help me identify this bug. Thank you for any information.
Leanora



Hi Leanora,
This is a Thistledown Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp reputed to have a very painful sting. Males of the species are smaller and winged. Your photo is quite surreal.

Correction: (07/02/2007)
Hi, Daniel:   Great job, as usual, with all the IDs and postings.  Only one correction.   Pretty sure the "thistledown velvet ant" posted is actually Sacken's velvet ant, Dasymutilla sackeni.  Thistledown velvet ants (D. gloriosa) have much longer hairs, and are bright white, not "dirty white" as this specimen is.  Sacken's velvet ant is one of the more common species in California.   Great detective work by everyone on the male crevice spider!  The angle of the image managed to camouflage those incredible pedipalps, which are a hallmark for ID of the males.   The opening post for the "bug of the month" is also great, as it demonstrates what a great service you are providing in alleviating irrational fears of insects and spiders.  I am overjoyed to hear of someone befriending a cicada killer instead of finding a big shoe....:-)  Keep up the wonderful crusade, my friend.   Sincerely,
Eric Eaton

Sacken's Velvet Ant
(06/23/2007) help!?!
Can you please tell me what this bug is that I found in the back yard.  I have tried searching for it on the internet but have been unable to figure it out.  Thank you!
Melissa



Hi Melissa,
Velvet Ants are really a flightless female wasp that packs a wallop of a sting.

Sacken's Velvet Ant
(06/10/2007) beetle with white hair?
Hi Bugman,
I live in Corona, CA (borders Riverside) and found this beetle looking creature - actually my dog was following it around curiously - in my back yard.   When it is scampering to get away, it makes a cute little squeaky noise.   The hair on it's back seems about 5 - 10 mm long, pretty fuzzy!    Would love to know what it is, and what it eats!  I'm going to let it go in a couple of days. Thanks,
Rich
Corona, CA



Hi Rich,
This Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp that packs a wallop of a sting.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 14. Dasymutilla sackeni. hope this helps a bit.

Velvet Ant from Arizona
(05/09/2007) What's that Ant?
Was on a 'fun walk' on the Navajo Reservation when I came across this interesting little ant. I wish the picture was a little clearer but it wouldn't stop when I asked it to. I ran across it near Kayenta, Arizona. Earlier, I had seen a similar ant except it was blue. There are so many interesting bugs on the reservation. I'll have to find more and take pictures of them.



This is not an ant. It is a flightless female wasp commonly called a Velvet Ant. According to the photos on BugGuide, this would appear to be in the genus Pseudomethoca.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 16. Pseudomethoca sp. hope this helps a bit.

Velvet Ant from Mexico
(03/01/2007) Bugs identification...
Hi, I work as webmaster in small new Zoo, at Puerto Vallarta Mexico. I like a lot insect so in my free time I go around in dry jungle here to observe plants and discover insects I have never seen! Well so i have found this little creatures, hope you could identify them. I think the first one is a velvet ant (cow killer) , does this animal really sting to kill a man or a cow¡? I didnt have my macro at that time so the pics are not really good. ... I will aprecciate your answer, and it will be really grate to understand the behavior of this little amazing creatures of the low level world =) Thank you.
Christian V.



Hi Christian,
We are happy to get your Velvet Ant photo. Its markings are very different from any other photos we have received. The sting of a Velvet Ant is very painful, but will not kill a person or a cow unless there are extenuating circumstances like allergies. We don't know what your caterpillar is, but it sounds like it might have been parasitized, which interfered with the normal life cycle.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 17. Dasymutilla sp. hope this helps a bit.

Cow Killer
(09/26/2006) Red Velvet Ant
Hi!
I took these pics of a red velvet ant on 09/25/2006 in Kentucky. That is one of the most beautiful *bugs* in our back yard. Have a great day!
Caroline



Hi Caroline,
We are so happy to hear that you appreciate the beauty of this fascinating flightless female wasp that is commonly called a Cow Killer because of her painful sting.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 17. Dasymutilla sp. hope this helps a bit.

Velvet Ant
(09/18/2006) White fuzzy/hair insect -- what is it?
Hi, Daniel!
Despite quite a bit of searching around on your great site, I didn't find an image anything like this (although I confess that I don't have any idea where to start). My wife and I recently visited the Palomar Observatory in the NE San Diego County mountains, where we saw this critter on one of the walkways. I would have liked to get a better photo, but it turned, I think defensively, to avoid a head-on shot. It's not real big -- maybe 3/4". What is it? And is the white fuzz/hair normal? Thanks!
Dave



Hi Dave,
We noticed you wrote back to us to say you had identified your Velvet Ant on our site before we had a chance to respond. You photo is beautiful. Someone once described this flightless female was as resembling David Bowie. We have a long history of misidentifying what we have thought was the Thistledown Velvet Ant, but this is another species in the genus Dasymutilla.

Cow Killer
(08/27/2006) weird red bug
WTB,
What is this thing in the attached picture? It's hard to get perspective from the picture, but this insect is pretty big, much bigger than any ant I've seen. It's about as big as a hornet. And it's velvety, and the color is very bright. Any idea what it is? Thanks
Peter Buzzard
New Bern, NC



Hi Peter,
We are getting many letters regarding Cow Killers, a type of Velvet Ant. Velvet Ants are flightless female wasps. Is there a population explosion? Seems they might be more common this year than in years past.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. 19. Dasymutilla sackeni, white form. hope this helps a bit.

Velvet Ant
(08/19/2006) What is this bug?
I found a wasp-like insect with fuzzy red bottom and black everywhere else. What is this bug? I live in Southern California.
Joelle



Hi Joelle,
This is a Velvet Ant, actually a flightless female wasp. We have several species in Southern California, and this looks like it might be Dasymutilla coccinea.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. 21. is most likely pseudomethoca anthracina. hope this helps a bit.

Cowkiller
(08/10/2006) Ever seen one of these?
Six legs, but no elbowed antennae. Haven't been able to find it on the internet.
Doug



Hi Doug,
Once we tell you this is a type of Velvet Ant commonly called a Cowkiller, you should be able to find thousands of images online. We have an entire page devoted to Velvet Ants since we have gotten so many identification requests. When you don't know a name, the best way to use a search engine like Google is with a short description. As a test, we tried "ant red and black furry" and "ant red and black fuzzy" and both immediately led us to our own What's That Bug? Velvet Ant page as well as numerous other correct internet sites. We are baffled as to why you came up blank.

Velvet Ant
(08/05/2006) What is this huge ant thing
Found this thing crossing my driveway. What is it and should I be worried. Tried to get a better picture with no luck. Maybe you can zoom in on it. It looks like a huge ant body , but it is red and black and furry. Help!!!!
Sheri in North Carolina



Hi Sheri,
The Velvet Ant is actually a flightless female wasp. Her sting is reputedly painful enough to kill a cow, hence the common name Cow Killer.

Cow Killer
(07/30/2006) Red and black Ant? Or ????
We just moved from Florida to Georgia. Now in Florida we do have a lot of extreme bugs, but this is one that we have NEVER seen. It looks like a red and black ant, but it's fuzzy and huge!!!!!!! It doesn't look like it has any wings at all, we thought maybe they fell off or the bug was injured. We live in South Georgia about an hour out of Atlanta. Any help identifying this bug and letting us know if it is harmful to us or plant or any info would be helpful!!! Thanks
Flustered in Georgia
Peggy



Hi Peggy,
This flightless female wasp is commonly known as a Velvet Ant or Cow Killer. She is not harmful, but has a very painful sting. Don't bother her and she won't bother you.

Cow Killer
(04/23/2006) Scary Hissing Ant!
Last year, I ran across a very strange bug. It looked like a giant fuzzy ant with orange and black stripes and it made a strange hissing noise when I bothered it. Naturally, I backed off! You never know which bugs could bite!
Kasey White
Bloom of the Moon



Hi Kasey,
It is well that you backed off. This is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp that is commonly called a Cow Killer, and she stings like the dickens. Eric Eaton add: "Velvet ants can 'squeak' by rapidly rubbing their abdominal segments against one another, which might account for the "hissing" sound the submitter mentioned. Between the warning colors and the noise, you'd be foolish to pick one up"

Velvet Ant
(03/05/2006) Ant or Wasp? Or just plain mean?
This little guy stung my 6 year old here in Austin, TX. It's approximately 1 cm long. When we first caught it, we could see what looks like a stinger at the end of its abdomen, but you can't see that in the pictures. What makes me wonder if it's a juvenile of something is that the abdomen has a distinct line where the exoskeleton ends and a soft, fuzzy part protrudes. Any help would be appreciated! (We've already had wasp swarms due to Japanese Beetles and a group of bees setting up housekeeping in our walls. I'd like to know what to be prepared for next!)
Thank you!
Kathy Blankenship
I totally forgot to add the weird part. When we caught this thing and were trying to take pictures of it, it made a very distinct buzzing sound.



Hi Kathy,
This is actually both an ant and a wasp. This insect is commonly known as a Velvet Ant, but in reality it is a flightless female wasp whose sting is very painful. The good news is they are solitary and do not exhibit social behavior.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 26. sphaeropthalma pensylvanica. hope this helps a bit.

Cow Killer
(01/27/2006) Bugman! Help! She/he's a beauty! What is it?!
Bugman (or woman):
My girlfriend and I came across this (pic attached) amazing orange creature while hiking around the Little Grand Canyon in the Shawnee National Forest, which is located in Jackson County, Illinois. It sort of ambled about in a friendly way on the ground while we took pix and followed. I didn't touch him; I just held my finger there in the photo for scale. This really was a gorgeous bug -- his orange and black hairs were amazing! Later that day, while out on a rock outcropping overlooking the canyon, we also saw GIGANTIC wasp with a pretty cool, long, drape-y ovipositor. Is that what it's called? She gave us a bit of a start, coming out of nowhere and heading straight for us! Anyway, can you help us identify this little orange fuzzy friend? Thanks a lot!
Dillon and Claudia



Hi Dillon and Claudia,
She is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp reputed to have a painful sting, hence the common name of Cow Killer as the sting is supposedly painful enough to kill a cow. The other wasp you saw may have been a Giant Ichneumon.

Cow Killer
(01/15/2006) Tiger like ant?
I found this guy in my yard. He is about an inch or a little more long. I have searched and searched but can't find out what it is. Can you help? Thank you.
Carla Finley,
Venice, FL



Hi Carla,
Your ant is actually a flightless female wasp known as a Velvet Ant or Cow Killer. The sting is reported to be very painful.

Velvet Ant
(12/16/2005) Never seen this bug before
Hi!
I've looked over many pages on your site and just haven't seen anything quite like this. It's possible I just didn't click on the right link to find this bug, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask anyway. My mother and I own a house in Quail Valley, CA, and we see this bug appear every now-and-then in our front yard. My Mom says she thinks it kind of looks like an ant, I say it looks like a beetle. Either way, this thing is weird! Bright red and dark black - hairy all over. It's about an inch and a half long. I attached a picture. Tell me if you know about this creature! Thanks
Jade



Hi Jade,
This is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp. Watch out, she stings. We found a species match on BugGuide for you. We believe your species is Dasymutilla magnifica.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. 29. Dasymutilla magnifica. hope this helps a bit.

Cow Killer flees wrath of Hurricane Rita!!!
(09/23/2005)
While having our family evacuate from the Houston area, waiting on Hurricane Rita to hit we went outside to check the wind speed and weather conditions.  My daughter saw this mutant wingless wasp run across the sidewalk. This of course brought the curiosity of my brother along with all the little chumleys (Kiddos) to see the sight.  I have to admit it took my brother the cyber junky to find your website in less than 15 min.  Thanks for all the information. We let loose the striking lady in red in the neighbor’s lawn across the street.
Katy , Texas
Aka Hurricane Rita’s refuge Bed and Breakfast



Hi Katy,
Here in Los Angeles, our newspapers and television coverage is all about how crazy it is trying to get out of Houston. 14 hour drives to get 70 miles. We are amazed that you took the time to photograph and identify the Cow Killer, and then even had time to write to us. Good luck weathering the storm.

Not Thistledown Velvet Ant
(08/29/2005) The bug looks like David Bowie
Dear bugman,
I'm told you may be able to tell me what it is.  I live in Southern California, silverado canyon to be exact (it's on the edge of the cleveland national forest).  It was a few months ago, this bug (pic attached) wondered onto our property.  We see alot of strange spiders and bugs of sorts, but this one stumped us.  It is 1/2 - 3/4 inches long.  if you could tell me what kind it is i would be very greatful, we call it the David Bowie bug (since they share the same hair cut).  We have not seen anything like it since that day.   
Thank you,
Regina McIntyre



Hi Regina,
The Thistledown Velvet Ant does rather resemble David Bowie in his Diamond Dog days. This is actually a flightless female wasp.

Velvet Ant
(08/23/2005) Cow killer
I used your page to identify this cow killer ant / wasp. 
Thanks,
Dan



Hi Dan,
Impressive close-up.

Velvet Ant
(08/14/2005) Velvet ant
Hi Bugman,
A few hours on line and I identified this "ant" as a wasp called "Velvet Ant", funny name for a wasp.  Then, I saw that you had a picture of one under wasps.
Regards,
Denis
Louisville, Kentucky



Hi Denis,
Nice clear image of a Velvet Ant or Cow Killer, Dasymutilla occidentalis.

Cow Killer
(08/03/2005) What the Heck?!
Hi again.
My daughter saw this bug running across our driveway this afternoon and I saw one yesterday in a totally different part of our yard (we have 4 acres).  We saw some last year too.  It looks like a huge, furry, red ant?!  It was about 1 1⁄2 -2 inches long and I didn’t want to kill it to take a picture and had a hard time keeping the camera on him…running around too fast.  It really is a good looking and vibrant bug. We live in Winston-Salem , North Carolina .
Cheers,
E Smith



Hi E.,
We recently created a Velvet Ant page especially for these flightless female wasps that are also known as Cow Killers because of their painful sting.

Cow Killer
(07/20/2005) Beautiful Six Legged Bug....What is it????
Can anyone tell me just what kind of bug this is? I live just north of Dallas, Texas and found several of these bugs in my yard yesterday July19, 2005.  It has six legs and is covered in a beautiful orange to crimson red and black velvet, It almost looks like a large ant. I have never seen this bug before......please respond.
Peter



Hi Peter,
Our site has a brand new search engine and we would just love it if people would use it. Typing in your key words, like velvet, should have led you directly to where you wanted to go, the Velvet Ant page. Your Velvet Ant, Dasymutilla occidentalis, is sometimes called a Cow Killer, no doubt because the sting of this flightless female wasp is quite painful.

Velvet Ant
(06/28/2005) Unknown ant
Hi,
I found your site while trying to identify this ant; hoping you can help. We have lots of black ants and tiny brown sugar ants. This one is about 8 - 9 mm long; never saw anything like it around here. It was on a desk in the office.
Thank you,
Roger



Hi Roger,
We were pretty sure this was one of the flightless wasps but we checked with Eric Eaton for confirmation. Here is his response: "Ding-ding-ding!  Right AGAIN!  It is another species of velvet ant, possibly Dasymutilla bioculata (spelling on the species?)." Velvet Ants are actually wingless female wasps and they can sting painfully.

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 36. Dasymutilla alesia. hope this helps a bit.

Not Thistledown Velvet Ant
(06/06/2005) cool site!
Very interesting site.  I have a couple of bugs I can’t identify.  Both from Southern California.  I appreciate any help you can give me.
Ron Drake



Hi Ron,
Your photos of the Thistledown Velvet Ant or Gray Velvet Ant, Dasymutilla gloriosa, are very nice. She is a female flightless wasp and can deliver a painful sting.

Ed. Note Update: (12/02/2005)
ID corrections, etc. I've just discovered your excellent site (directed there by "This is True"), and as a hymenopterist have a few comments: All of the "thistledown velvet ants" shown are actually Dasymutilla nocturna, not Dasymutilla gloriosa. The latter has the erect hairs somewhat sparser and more "untidy", the body is a reddish brown, not black, and all the hairs are whitish (no black hairs), so the legs look whitish.
I hope these comments are useful.
Denis

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 37. Dasymutilla sackeni, D. nocturna restricted. hope this helps a bit.

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Not Thistledown Velvet Ant
(04/29/2005) Velvet Ant and Unknown Spider
Thistle Down Velvet Ant. I'm not really partial to blondes, but this little lady caught my eye in the parking lot at work in Poway, San Diego County. Don't worry, I resisted the urge to pet her. I know she packs a painful stinger. I'm also including an unidentified spider. He was about the same size as a full grown green lynx, which are abundant in this area. Possibly another type of lynx?
Love your site,
Bernard Davis



Hi Bernard,
Thank you so much for your great photo of the Thistledown Velvet Ant, also known as the Gray Velvet Ant, Dasymutilla gloriosa. This is a new species for our site. The wingless female does have a painful sting. She wanders about on the ground searching for sand wasp burrows. She lays her eggs there and the young Velvet Ant larva then feasts on both the larval wasp as well as the food source of paralyzed flies the female Sand Wasp provides for her young. Male Velvet Ants fly.

Ed. Note Update: (12/02/2005)
ID corrections, etc. I've just discovered your excellent site (directed there by "This is True"), and as a hymenopterist have a few comments: All of the "thistledown velvet ants" shown are actually Dasymutilla nocturna, not Dasymutilla gloriosa. The latter has the erect hairs somewhat sparser and more "untidy", the body is a reddish brown, not black, and all the hairs are whitish (no black hairs), so the legs look whitish.
I hope these comments are useful.
Denis

Update: (04/02/2008) ID for insects
Hey, my name is Will, this is a list of the ID's for the velvet ant page. image 38. Dasymutilla sackeni   hope this helps a bit.

Cow Killer
(03/10/2005) Fuzzy bug
HI.  Last October I found this fuzzy red/black bug following me.  It was the weirdest thing that I've ever seen.  I would move then make a noise and the bug would move in my direction.  I've never seen a bug like this before.  Any ideas what it is?
Thanks,
Victoria



Hi Victoria,
Lucky for you that you didn't try to pick up that Cow Killer. Cow Killer is a local name for this species of Velvet Ant, which is in fact a flightless female wasp. Dasymutilla occidentalis gets its colorful common name because many people believe the painful sting is strong enough to kill a cow. They run quickly and are very aggressive. The males fly. They range from New York to Florida and west to Texas, but they are most common in the South.

Cicada Killer with prey and Velvet Ant
(01/01/2005) Cicada Killer and Velvet Ant
My wife and I enjoy your site. We live in Baton Rouge, LA and our garden has a diverse range of hymenopterans. This past summer we had a large emergence of cicadas and my wife took this photo of a cicada killer on our patio door. The size of these wasps is truly impressive. We also have velvet ants that hang out near one of our pecan trees (photo attached).
Regards - Mark & Malinda



Hi Mark and Malinda,
We are always happy to get good quality images of interesting subjects to add to our website. Yours is the only photo we have ever received of the Cicada Killer with its prey. Thank you so much.
Daniel

Velvet Ant
(08/04/2004) unusual ant
This ant was found away from civilized area, in south central Missouri. I happened to see it on a trail for ATVs. The length of the ant is about the same as the diameter of a nickel. It was suggested to me that it may be a woodcutter, though nothing specific. I look forward to any information you can provide.



Your unusual ant goes by the common name Velvet Ant, but it is in fact a flightless female wasp. In the south, they are known as Cow-Killers because of the painful sting. The scientific name is Dasymutilla occidentalis.

(7/21/03) I live in Rock Hill, SC and came across this insect while I was weeding the monkey grass. It was about about inch long, had three body sections like an ant but it's body was fuzzy like a bumble bee. It was bright red with black stripes like a bee, no wings but had six black legs. It didn't move very fast but crawled along the monkey grass and yard. Can you tell me what this was?

Sounds like a Velvet Ant, (Dasymutilla occidentalis) a female flightless wasp, capable of delivering quite a sting. They are sometimes known as cow-killers or mule-killers, and are feared by tobacco farmers who often get stung. See if this photo matches.