Ant/Wasp/Fly hybrid in Baja
June 5, 2010
We got invaded by these bugs a couple weeks ago. They were crazy and pesky keeping us up at night. They are reddish like an ant, with a striped abdomen like a wasp, a face like an ant and wings like a fly. Big beady eyes and I’m pretty sure they had pincher mouths. They also scream!!!! They’re relatively small, similar to a big flying ant.
Baja Bug Girl
San Felipe, Baja California
Dear Baja Bug Girl,
Though we are confident that this is a Flying Ant, we do not feel qualified to attempt a species identification. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide that information.
Correction
June 7, 2010
We received a comment that this is a male Velvet Ant, a species of Wasp, and not an ant as we originally suspected.
The insect is a male sphaeropthalmine mutillid wasp. The felt line is just barely visible on the notum of the second abdominal segment (the gaster).
Thanks so much for making this correction.
I can’t decide whether this is a male velvet ant or just a flying ant, it has characteristics of both(at least the ones I’m dealing with do) but here’s some things to know about these guys.
Strictly nocturnal
Excruciating sting if handled
AGGRESSIVE little bastards. These creatures invade wasp nests and beehives to lay their eggs
Indestructible! Books are too light to do anymore than make them mad. Bug spray stops them from flying for a few seconds. once you gotten them motionless burn them they come back to life!