How Bad Is A Velvet Ant Sting? What To Do if Stung?

Velvet ants look harmless and rather cuddly from afar, but they are known to give nasty stings. So, how bad is a velvet ant sting in reality? Will you need medical attention if you get stung?

Velvet ants are found all over the world. There are around 3,000 of these insects found worldwide, and almost 400 of their species are in North America as well, mostly in the Southwestern regions.

They are brightly colored and usually prefer to live in dry and sandy environments.

Apart from their bright and hairy bodies, these insects are known for their intensely painful stings, which has earned them the colorful name “cow killers.”

But are the stings really fatal enough to kill a cow? How dangerous are these creatures to humans? Let us find out in this article.

Do Velvet Ants Sting?

Interestingly, not all cow killers can sting. Male velvet ants can’t sting and are entirely harmless to humans. The female velvet ant, on the other hand, can deliver painful stings.

The stingers in the female velvet ant are quite long, and they also use them as ovipositors (for laying their eggs).

Stinging is one of the significant parts of their defense system against potential predators since they lack the ability to fly (which the males do).

What Is The Pain Index of Their Sting?

Schmidt’s sting pain index is used by people worldwide to rank the pain intensity of the sting delivered by different insects.

It was created by Justin Schmidt. The scale starts from zero and goes up to four, where zero is the least painful and four is highly intense and excruciating.

As per this index, the cow killer ants’ sting gets a score between one and three, depending on the species. Three is very high. It is only slightly lower than that of a bullet ant.

What Does a Velvet Ant Sting Feel Like?

As mentioned above, the stings delivered by different velvet ants species are highly painful.

Schmidt has described the pain of being stung by the Dasymutilla Gloriosa, or the glorious velvet ant, as being similar to being stabbed or getting struck by shrapnel.

The sting of the Dasymutilla occidentalis, or the eastern velvet ant is also quite powerful.

How Dangerous Is Their Sting?

Although the stings delivered by velvet ant species are extremely painful, they are not poisonous or venomous.

If you get stung by one, you will experience a throbbing pain near the wound, but there is no need to worry as it won’t cause any severe problems.

You might experience severe swelling, redness, and irritation near the wounded region. The pain level is almost similar to the sting of bees and can last for around an hour.

Other Ways They Defend Themselves

Apart from being stinging insects, these wasps have some other ways to defend themselves from potential predators. 

Since they are solitary wasps, they don’t have the luxury of calling out to their colony, unlike social wasps such as yellow hornets or bees. Therefore, self-defense is their only option.

They use their brightly colored bodies to send warnings to various predators that they possess a toxic sting. This practice is called aposematism.

They also produce a warning sound of sharp squeaking to drive the dangers away.

All species of velvet ants use the phenomenon of Müllerian mimicry (copying the look of an ant) to keep predators at bay.

Ants are formidable insects that most predators are afraid of (because they can fight back in a group). Since velvet ants look like ants, predators stay away from them too.

Can They Really Kill A Cow?

Red velvet ants, the predominant species in America, are commonly known as cow killers. However, these insects are nowhere near capable of killing a big animal like a cow.

There is no solid evidence of a velvet ant killing a cow. The name is simply an assessment of the pain level of its stings.

Also, you must know that the name is not an indication that these wasps attack cows. It is just that their sting is so painful that people believe it is enough to kill a cow.

What Do They Eat?

Adult velvet ants mostly rely on nectar and water to complete their diets. In immature stages, they consume the growing larvae of other insects.

The wingless females lay eggs in the nest of other insects like the ground-nesting bees; once the eggs hatch, the larvae eat out the host larvae/pupae to grow.

Can They Fly?

Only the adult male velvet ants have a set of wings. The females are wingless, and they usually crawl around to reach places.

Despite the absence of wings, these females can protect themselves from predators by using their stings which is absent in the males.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a velvet ant stings you?

If a velvet ant stings, you will experience a sharp and throbbing pain near the wounded area. You might face other problems like irritation, swelling, and redness.

However, these bites are not dangerous and will not cause fatal injuries or health problems. If you are allergic to insect bites, it might be advisable to visit a medic, but otherwise, it is not required.

Are velvet ants harmful to humans?

Male velvet ants are entirely harmless to humans as they do not sting. Females, on the other hand, can hurt humans by delivering highly painful stings.

Therefore, one should never approach them recklessly. The sting can cause problems like swelling, irritation, and redness.

How long does a velvet ant sting last?

Velvet ant stings are similar to other wasp stings. However, they are very painful and discomforting and can last up to an hour.

During that period, you may notice redness and swelling near the wounded area. Therefore, you must be careful near these wasps.

How big is a velvet ant stinger?

Velvet ants have a long stinger that they use to deliver excruciating stings. The stinger can grow up to half the size of a velvet ant body.

However, these stingers are only present in females; the males do not have one and are harmless to humans.

Wrap Up

Velvet ants are wasps that have the capacity to inflict high levels of pain through their stingers.

However, you should know that only females can sting, and males are entirely harmless. Despite the pain level of the stings, they do not pose any serious threat to humans, as the stings do not cause any fatal disease or injury.

Use the information given in the article to deal carefully with these wasps. Thank you for reading the piece.