Velvet ants are really pretty and, despite their ability to sting, are a favorite of many bug enthusiasts. But where are velvet ants found in the US? Let us check it out.
Have you ever heard of cow killer ants? Well, the name might sound highly intimidating, but these tiny insects are nowhere near capable of killing cows.
The cow killer ants are known as velvet ants and there are around 8,000 of these species worldwide.
In this article, we will share details that will help you know this insect better.
Are Velvet Ants Really Ants?
Velvet ants might look similar to big hairy ants, but these insects are a type of wasps.
If you look closely, you will notice that they have straight antennae, while the ants have elbowed-shaped antennae.
These wasps have a painful sting and are also commonly known as cow killers or cow killer ants.
Velvet ants have brightly-colored yellow and red bodies which are covered with dense hair.
They are considered solitary wasps and are often seen roaming around the yards during the months of July, August, and September.
Can They Fly?
The male adult velvet ants have two pairs of black and transparent wings. The female velvet ant, on the other hand, has no wings, and it certainly can’t fly.
Due to the absence of wings, the female look much similar to ants. The adults can be spotted flying around flowers in search of nectar.
Why Do They Mimic Ants?
Different organisms mimic each other as an adaptation to survive certain conditions and dangers. The female velvet ants mimic some activities of the ants to defend against potential predators.
One of the main reasons behind this is that the wingless females of this species can’t fly to safety when they are attacked, so they develop additional techniques to stay safe.
Moreover, ants are considered one of the hardest prey in the insect world. Their ability to lift heavy loads and fight in groups helps them repel many predators.
Therefore, mimicking an ant is certainly a smart idea on the part of the velvet ant.
Apart from mimicking ants, cow killers also show aposematic signals through their colors to warn predators that they are hard to eat.
These warning signals are seen all across the insect world, including in ladybugs and many species of butterflies
Where Are They Found?
The species of velvet ants are scattered across the world. The red velvet ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis) is a common one found all over the US.
You can see these wasps all throughout Missouri to Connecticut in North America.
In South America, you can spot velvet ant species from Texas to North Florida. They are also found in some regions of Australia and the UK.
What is Their Habitat Like?
Velvet ants usually do not build their own nests. They invade the nests of other insects, like ground-nesting bees, and lay their eggs near the existing larvae.
Once the eggs hatch, the velvet ant larvae kill and consume the larvae of the existing species that their parents had removed from the nest. In this way, these wasps are parasitoids.
Due to this tendency, the females are often seen near places where the hosts build their nests.
You can also spot them in sunny and dry areas where bees make their nests. Lawns, cemeteries, and non-shaded areas of forest are also ideal living spots for these wasps.
What Do They Eat?
Adult velvet ants mostly depend on nectar and water to fulfill their diets. This is not different from most other wasp species.
The velvet ant larvae, on the other hand, eat the host larvae and pupae to fulfill their nutritional requirements. Velvet ant larvae are parasitoids, a common characteristic in most wasps.
Are They Dangerous?
The male velvets ants can’t sting and will cause no harm to humans. However, the females are stinging insects that can deliver painful stings when they are threatened.
Their stingers are large, which these females also use as an ovipositor.
According to Schmidt’s sting pain index, the pain intensity of the bite is ranked 3 out of 4, where four is the highest and most painful.
But apart from the excruciating pain, the bites are rarely dangerous. In fact, the name cow killers is a bit of a stretch. Velvet ants are not capable of killing cows or even dogs or cats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are velvet ants rare?
In the United States, you can find red velvet ants in Missouri, Connecticut, Texas, and Florida. They love to be around dry and warm areas like lawns and cemeteries.
There are many species of velvet ants scattered all over the world. You can find them in the UK and Australia as well.
Can velvet ants hurt you?
vMale velvets ants don’t sting or bite humans and are completely harmless. However, the females will deliver highly painful stings if they feel threatened.
Apart from the pain, it causes swelling, redness, and irritation in the wounded area. But thankfully, these bites are mostly not dangerous and won’t cause any serious trouble.
Can you touch a velvet ant?
You should not try to touch or hold velvet ants, especially the females. These insects are usually non-aggressive, but if they feel threatened, they will certainly sting you.
Their sting can inflict a great amount of pain. If you want to touch them, it is better to wear gloves so they can’t reach your skin and sting.
Can you keep velvet ants as pets?
You should not keep velvet ants as pets because the females will sting you and your family members.
Adding to that, these stings are highly painful and will cause severe redness, swelling, and irritation.
The males, on the other hand, are equipped with wings which means they will keep flying around your house like pests.
Wrap Up
Velvet ants are quite common in the US, but outside, they are only found in the US and Australia in limited spots.
They get their name due to their ant-like appearance and the thick coat of hair covering their brightly-colored bodies.
The males and the females have different features which they use to survive against predators. The female velvet ants are capable of delivering painful stings to humans and pests. Therefore you must never handle them recklessly.
The bites can cause other problems like irritation, redness, swelling, and more.
Thank you for reading; we hope we were able to answer most of your questions, and do drop us a comment below if you need any more clarifications!
Reader Emails
Over the years, many of our readers have asked us to identify velvet ants. They are found in many places in the North American continent, so the question about which all states they are present in is quite a common one.
Do read the emails and see the beautiful pics captured by our readers.
Letter 1 – Unknown Velvet Ant from Arizona
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.
Letter 2 – Velvet Ant from Arizona
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.
Letter 3 – Velvet Ant from Mexico
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.
Letter 4 – Velvet Ant
Never seen this bug beforeHi!
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.
Letter 5 – Velvet Ant
Black insect with fuzzy redish orange abdomen
Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 5:30 PM
Found in Peoria, Arizona in November. A solid looking 1 1/4 inch long and maybe a 1/2 inch wide insect, deep black with a vibrant redish-orange fuzzy abdomen. No wings & very busy walking around looking for something. If you were going to draw this critter, you would use a sharpie due to its solid features.
The Nicoloffs
Peoria, AZ (out in the desert)
Letter 6 – Velvet Ant from Jalisco, Mexico
Giant furry ant or bee without wings?
July 11, 2009
I found this inside out house. He was about 5/8 inches long.
David Brownell
Jocotepec, JAL, Mexico
Letter 7 – Velvet Ant
Black and Orange Fuzzy Butt Bug
November 13, 2009
I saw this bug today, while hiking at Lake Pleasant (Arizona), it was walking very quickly on the ground. I only had a chance to get one photo.
Hundewanderer
Lake Pleasant, Arizona
Letter 8 – Velvet Ant from Australia
aussietrev Black Velvet Ant
February 16, 2010
Hi guys,
Congratulations on being near the end with the book project. It has been hot and very wet around this way and over the last couple of days I have come across several of these male wasps hunting around in the sandy soil. There has been some females too but they don’t like the camera getting close.
As an aside, I noticed the letter about the light and the funnel. One method of trapping insects is to bury a bottle with a funnel so that the lip of the funnel is at ground level. A light is suspended above it and ground dwellers walk to the light and fall into the funnel. Hope that sheds some light on it 🙂
aussietrev
Burnett region. Queensland. Australia
Letter 9 – Cow Killer
Unknown ant-like insect
July 16, 2010
Location:Â Virginia
Okay, out in my yard today in Virginia, I encountered a bug I’ve never seen in my life. It’s mostly shaped like an ant, only massive like the size of a bee or such. It’s a deep, bright red with a couple black stripes across its abdomen and appears to have a somewhat velvety texture (though I didn’t touch it to make sure). It does not possess any wings. Normally, I’d just let it go but I have two small nephews staying with me right now and don’t want any harm to come to them.
Deimos
Letter 10 – Velvet Ant
Flightless Bee and large Velvet Ant?
Location:Â 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
Letter 11 – Velvet Ant and California Harvester Ants
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
Letter 12 – Velvet Ant
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
Letter 13 – Velvet Ant from South Africa
Subject: ant
Location: St Lucia, South Africa
December 28, 2012 12:33 pm
What k7nd of ant is this.
Signature: any
Letter 14 – Ant from Malaysia is Echinopla melanarctos
Subject: black furry ant
Location: Malaysia
March 24, 2013 5:23 am
size: ~1.5cm
slow moving
found in low land tropical forest nearby a stream.
is it an ant or a velvet ant?
Signature: wxchew
Letter 15 – Velvet Ant from Colombia: Traumatomutilla species
Subject: What’s This Bug?
Location: Colombia
November 9, 2013 11:34 pm
I found this on the railing of the stairs of my work.
Signature: Omar D.
Letter 16 – Velvet Ant from Greece
Subject: A weird insect
Location: Greece,Rhodes
January 30, 2014 6:25 am
Hello, sorry about the comment but I was confused of this site. Well,this insect is almost 2 cm long, it hasn’t got any wings, its brown colour (near to red ),and the rest of it’s body is bee’s colour. It has got 6 legs and when i touched it, it made a sound like a hamster.
Signature: Manol
Letter 17 – Velvet Ant from Israel
Subject: looks like huge ant with yellow and black colors
Location: Israel
May 6, 2014 1:43 am
Hi,
Found this bug (image attached), looks like ant, big ant, with
black back and yellow dots, bee colors.
called it bant 🙂
Did you see something like this before?
Signature: Best Regards, Tarik Haddad
Letter 18 – Velvet Ant from Spain
Subject: Velvet ant In Central Spain
Location: Ocaña, Toledo
July 10, 2014 3:15 am
Hi, I found a female velvet ant yesterday just south of Madrid. Later on I saw what looked like a winged male. I am unfamiliar with Mutillidae of Spain and have failed to find any information on the species these may be.
I have sent a photo of each, but the camera I used was somewhat poor. Another photo I found online, that seems to be of an identical animal is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gails_pictures/6796465621/in/album-72157647857067094/
I appreciate that it is pretty much impossible to get a definitive species level ID without the actual animal, but any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Signature: Bec
Letter 19 – Velvet Ant from Mexico
Subject: Spider? Ant?
Location: San Jose del Cabo, BCS Mexico
December 14, 2014 6:26 pm
We are in Los Cabos Mexico. Have seen two of these on our patio today. What are they?
Signature: Cheryl C.
Letter 20 – Velvet Ant and Wasp from Australia
Subject: Black Velvet Ant and ?
Location: Oldbury Western Australia
January 31, 2015 5:49 am
Hi again,
I could write to you just about every day asking about one bug or another, but I don’t like to BUG you too much! LOL… sorry… anyhow…
I’m pretty certain second pic of a wingless wasp is a Black Velvet Ant (seems like a dumb name when it’s not an ant), although I don’t know the exact species name.
I was mainly wondering, given the colour resemblance, if the first winged wasp is the male of the same species? They were both photographed on my property just south of Perth in Australia a day apart. If I am guessing wrong please correct me. Thanks. With appreciation,
Signature: Jill Wozhere
Letter 21 – Velvet Ant from Zimbabwe
Subject: Ant/wasp…i dunno
Location: Zimbabwe, Harare
April 10, 2016 3:05 am
Hi bugman
I found this bug i’ve never seen before. Actually it found me…ouch! Please let me know what it is.
Thanks
Signature: R.C
Letter 22 – Velvet Ant from Baja California
Subject: What is this bug???
Location: Los Barriles, Baja CA Sur
May 6, 2016 5:33 pm
Hi, I hope you can help identify this bug. It was crawling on my arm in the middle of the night, yikes. I swiped it off, very scratchy feeling. I didn’t notice the welt until the next morning and that was a week ago. Welt is getting bigger every day! We found two of them, one in the bed and one on the kitchen counter, have never seen one before.
Signature: Maureen
Letter 23 – Velvet Ant from Venezuela
Subject:Â Beautiful and big Ant
Geographic location of the bug:Â Caracas, Venezuela
Date: 08/01/2019
Time: 05:50 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:Â I foud the ant at my yard this morning. It`s the second one I see in a year. it`s about 3 cmts. long.
How you want your letter signed:Â Arturo
I seen this exact one crawling into my backyard my husband has it in a plastic bottle and took it too work. It is indeed a velvet ant. Scary. Now i have to keep an eye out on my daughter when she is playing outside.
Helen
Moreno Valley, CA
I’ve heard stories of cows actually eating these (by accident) while grazing and were stung in the throat when being swallowed and did indeed die. Just a story-not much proof but something to consider.
Many years ago when I was 9 or 10 years old I saw one of these velvet ants for the first time. It was beautiful so I scooped it up in my hands to take home to show my mother. Before I made it home it stung me and I can say that it was the worst insect sting that I can remember, but I did not die. 🙂 I see them frequently and let them go on their way.
My father pointed one of these out to me when I was about 4 years old on a farm in Delaware. The thing that shocked me the most (and makes me avoid all wasps like the plague) was how it stings. He took a piece of styrofoam and agitated the thing until it reared it’s abdomen above its head and the styrofoam actually vibrated as it was attacked. He called it a cow killer too, but didn’t say it could kill them, it would most likely make them bolt once stung, like a snake could, and that stinger would get through their hide on their feet.
Dear shadowspawn,
Thank you so much for this anecdotal information. First hand observational information like this is so important to our website.
In south Georgia in the early ’60s, farmers used to tell me that this wasp got its name by getting into the cloven hoofs of cows and stinging them there. The cow would then run madly off and sometimes be injured or fall, breaking it’s leg. Thus the name, as the lame cow would then have to be put down.
This is just about the best and most plausible explanation of the common name Cowkiller we have ever heard.
This story is indeed about as close to fact as possible. The hoof is one of the few places where the cows couldn’t do a thing about the wasp, as it couldn’t be reached. This is a great site Bugman, I expect to learn quite a bit. South Florida certainly has its share of native and non-natives to keep us guessing, and your site is a tremendous tool for identifying these multi-legged/antennaed/eyed/winged/ etc etc little monsters! LOL Thanks!
I nearly picked one up the other day but my daugheter stopped me. We made a comic after finding the name “cow killer” on this site.
Thanks, BugMan.
http://eyecomics.blogspot.com/2011/07/velvet-ant.html
We just linked back to your comic on a recent posting of a gorgeous Cow Killer.
These things are so hard to kill !!! You have to put complete pressure on them and still step on them and move your foot about 10 times before you can actually kill them !! I hate being mean and cruel, but I am one who cannot stand spiders, insects or anything of the nature! I have two sons, one who is 6 and another who is 2, and I am scared they may have an allergic reaction and I hate making them put shoes on when going outside to play, we have a small farm and it seems like we find these cow killers, especially around my flower beds around the front porch!
My first encounter of this colorful and beautiful insect was in Arkansas. I am not a cruel person either,but I did try to step on it. It did nothing. I tried to stomp on it and it was still very much alive. I finally had to get a large tool to kill it. I had no idea what it was. A local person told me about this cow killer and after I looked up the information about it I stay very clear of it and the male that flies.It indeed was extremely hard to kill. I truly hope I never experience it’s sting!
This appears to be either Dasymutilla cressonii or a close relative.
Thanks for all your Velvet Ant corrections.
If you are still interested in identification, I’d say it more closely resembles the female of Sphaeropthalma pensylvanica.
Thanks for the correction
The velvet ant is Dasymutilla aureola.
Thanks for the identification.
Hi, it looks like an velvet ant for me too because of the furry appearance. But later i’ve been told that this is probably an ant from the Echinopla genus, maybe a Echinopla Melanarctos.
In our defense, Ants and Wasps are more closely related than either Ants and Bees or Wasps and Bees. Thanks for writing back with an identification. Here is a link to AntWeb:
http://www.antweb.org/description.do?genus=echinopla&name=melanarctos&rank=species
P.S. The species name or second name in a binomial identification is not capitalized, so your ant is Echinopla melanarctos.
I messed around with what looked like and probably was a cow killer in south GA when I was about 12. I tried to kill it but couldn’t so I put a glass over it on the ground where I found it. It was very agitated from my messing with it and started to make a loud, for a bug, noise. I left and returned later that day to find some ants trying to get to the killer. It was still making that noise and it seamed as if the ants were responding the cow killers calls. Are ants attracted to cow killers distress calls?
We don’t know, but perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide some information.
Dude, I thought this was a velvet ant too because of it’s furry appearance and they are always seen scavenging alone.
Most likely the ants responded to the wasp’s distress call in hope of finding prey for their colony.
This is the first I’ve seen this site and I like it! I moved to Northern Florida last August from northwest Pennsylvania. I know all the bugs and animals and trees and flowers, etc. from that area. BUT, I have no idea of all that is here in Carrabelle, Florida, in the water or on land. It just so happens that one of my neighbors pointed out a cow killer to me 3 weeks ago. He said he hadn’t seen one in years but that I should stay away from them. He also said that they are almost impossible to kill.
I was just walking out in my back yard, with my little dog, when I came across one by my bird bath. Of course, I was freaked out and tried to kill it before it would hurt my dog. I could not kill it by stepping on it so I finally found a discarded oyster shell and cut the horrible creature in half. It still is living!!!! How can I get rid of it?!?!?!? I didn’t used to be a ninny up North but I am still trying to get used to the strange wildlife here. Don’t get me wrong …. I love my home and the people and the area, I just don’t want to get hurt. I am a 64 yr. old woman and loving to learn about new things.
We do not give extermination advice.
I’m northerner living in South Carolina and just came across one of these cow killer bugs while I was out searching the yard for a snake that had just bitten my dog. “Crazy Day” .Just would like to say that after reading your forum I’m feeling much better knowing more information about these insects. There seems to be so many different kinds of hazards living in the south. Thanks for the info
The sting is reported to be extremely painful, though standards of pain can be quite relative.
If you enjoy learning, please learn to not kill any bug due to fear or possible ignorance of its’ capabilities re harm to humans. I thank you, as do the crawly creatures.
Why would you kill an insect outdoors…or—in most cases— indoors, for that matter? Velvet ants won’t sting if they’re not being messed with. Instead of killing them out of some wrongheaded fear for your children’s safety, wouldn’t a better approach be to teach your children not to touch them but to appreciate them? They are a stunningly beautiful insect, and you should feel fortunate to see them…and teach your kids the same. Regardless, this site isn’t the proper forum to post about the difficulty of killing them.
Thanks for providing your comment. Though we try to educate the public to appreciate and respect the lower beasts, in many cases our efforts are futile.
Traumatomutilla sp.??
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artour_a/6018073963/in/faves-antbbx/
Thank you. That does look like a very good match.
I was told that if a cow were to lay down on the “cow killers”nest, or pile, that they would get stung so many times that it would die. Now I don’t know if these”cow killers”have nests, or if they live in colonies?
They are a solitary species. We believe that you have heard a greatly exaggerated account.
We saw one of these today at a state park in Delaware. It was quite fast and it we just observed it. We noticed it when it was about six inches away from my 76 year old mom’s foot. So glad she didn’t agitate it or get stung by it! It was an incredible looking insect. Thanks for helping me identify it on this site! Great info!
I just saw one of these today, in my front yard in Dover, Delaware. It was indeed beautiful. I wanted to capture it, to photograph it, never having seen anything like it before. I thought about picking it up, but it looked wasp-like, and such a brightly colored insect reminded me of poisonous frogs. Glad I chose to run for a glass jar to capture it, but sorry to say it disappeared before my return.
What a treat, just to see something so beautiful. Beauty is everywhere, isn’t it?
We are gladdened to hear of your enthusiasm.
Perhaps this story is unfit for your readers, but I thought you might enjoy it. One of my first jobs out of college was as a botanist in SE Oregon. The first day in the field my boss went with me to “show me the ropes”. This part of the state is very sparsely populated and we were in an area at least 50 miles from the nearest civilization. I was examining a rare plant when my boss suddenly let out a scream I can still hear, yanked down his pants and began leaping about in a most fantastic manner. Turns out a velvet ant had crawled up his pant leg and stung him on a very sensitive part of his anatomy (unfortunately, I actually observed the offending creature et al.) I had to drive him back to the office with the contents of our ice chest held firmly in his lap.
The funniest part was how from that point onward he avoided contact with me at all cost and I was free to do my job without any supervision.
As sting and bite stories go, that is right up there with Centipede in her Panties.
Thanks but im not in california im in kansas and ben seeing more of these latley
I can attest to the VERY painful sting, I stepped on the fuzzy kind, magnifica I guess? But I remember it made a strange sound too. I live in Texas and have seen them around Dallas/Fort Worth and Waco as well.
I found just such an antwasp yesterday (24-1-15), I discovered it as it was stinging my thigh. I can say that the sting was quite painful, a bit like the sting of a common wasp, and it leaves a small mark like a big mosquito bite. It still very vaguely hurts now, but nothing to get excited about. I released it as it caused me no harm.
The location was Kadesh Barnea.
I found just such an antwasp yesterday (24-1-15), I discovered it as it was stinging my thigh. I can say that the sting was quite painful, a bit like the sting of a common wasp, and it leaves a small mark like a big mosquito bite. It still very vaguely hurts now, but nothing to get excited about. I released it as it caused me no harm.
The location was Kadesh Barnea.
We too have noticed a Cow Killer here in our backyard in Charlotte, NC. We have young Grandbabies and a small dog. All the information here on your site is great. I have to say that before I knew what this insect was I was able to have it climb onto a toy and I placed outside of our fence, it didn’t seem aggressive, but did move very fast She returned and graced us with her presence yet again today. I don’t want to kill her…I live all creatures but, also don’t want our Grandbabies, one of which is very highly allergic to bites, or our small dog stung. What can anyone suggest to keep them at bay? Very concerned! Thank you
We know of no methods that repel Cow Killers without harming them or other insects.
I came across this while trying to ID an image of the same insect, thought I’d share that I found a potential exact match: Mutilla quinquemaculata. Compare to the images here: http://www.biolib.cz/en/taxon/id281310/
Thanks so much for providing the link to the identification.
Yeah, it’s A velvet ant. I saw one today while hiking in the Indian canyons in Palm Springs. I took some pics and it’s a cool bug.
I haven’t seen any Cow Killers this year yet. It was late in July last year before they appeared and was wondering if later in the summer is when they are out? Thank you
We suspect they tend to appear when weather conditions are correct. According to BugGuide, Florida sightings have been reported from April to September. Other states data are listed as well. You did not provide a location.
I have lived in Florida for almost 50 years and have played with these ants (wasps) my entire life. They do give a distress “squeak” when held down with a twig and that is a good way to see their amazing stinger in action. I am an avid outdoorsman and have been stung or bitten by just about every bug in Florida over the years. As a teenager, I was stung several times by a very large cowkiller (we called them Devil Ants) when I put on a shoe I had left outdoors overnight. It was very similar to being stung by a honeybee or large hornet. The four sting sites became swollen and feverish over the next few days. It was painful for sure but nowhere near the sting of a bumblebee. I once took a shot from a bumblebee under my armpit while working and it left a hole in me that you could put your little finger in. The cowkiller was a piece of cake compared to that one. It is similar to a typical large wasp sting.
Just saw the same in Tombstone, AZ…but different from what I had seen before as a velvet ant
According to BugGuide, there are 480 species of Velvet Ants in North America. There is also much visual diversity among them.
Located this insect while hiking in Menifee Ca.
It hurts?
My husband and I just witnessed a cow killer carry off a beautiful garden orb spider that had created a web next to the back door. It was a sad sight to see. The spider was pretty big maybe the size of a half dollar but the cow killer was dragging it across our deck. This was a male because it had wings. We live in northeastern coastal NC. This summer is the first time I’ve seen these insects.
We suspect you saw a Spider Wasp in the family Pompilidae and not a male Cow Killer. Male wasps do not provision nests and according to BugGuide, the Cow Killer “Invades the nest of bumble bees, especially Bombus fraternus. Female finds a host nest, digs down and deposits one egg near brood chamber. Larva enters the host brood chamber, kills host larvae, feeds on them, then pupates in the brood chamber.”
I found one and got a few photos in my family’s village Near Nafpaktos on the Greek mainland.
Hes actually pretty funny!
got 1 caught in a cup right now, female i guess (no wings). thanks for helping to ID it.
My family and I just saw one in Menifee, CA.
I just had one of these ‘fine specimens’ join me to bed; Eastern/Tri-Cities Tennessee; what a sting that left!
We also have then here in New Mexico. I spotted one at Truth and Consequence at Elephant Butte.
I found one in Smithville Missouri
I had one outside my house today. In Grand Junction Colo. Its not here any more I thought it was a baby tarantula OMG.
I found one in Kingman AZ this evening also thought at first glance it was a tarantula, that thing is sure fast we have had a lot of heavy rains lately wonder if reason why
We know rain is a stimulant to both Tarantula and Trapdoor Spider activity since that is when males travel in search of a mate. We don’t know if rain stimulates Velvet Ants in a similar manner.
Had one here in Calimesa,CA. I have never seen one of these before.
Just got stung by one of these picking up my child’s diaper! I’ll say I’d rather stand in a red ant hill for a few seconds than be stung by that thing again..that hurt. -Texas
found another one in Menifee, Ca.
Walking our dog in a sunny morning cemetery I spied a pale green fuzzy ant (?) a little less than
5/8 of an inch long, trucking along quite purposefully on the asphalt…It looked like a tiny toy, but no visible legs or eyes…I’ve seen other large “velvet ants” that were red and black, but never this lovely soft green…Sorry to have missed a chance for a photo…Can’t seem to find anything like it
on any of the bug websites…
We saw one at horseshoe bend in page arizona a few days ago.
I have some in my yard in perris california zip code 92570
I enjoyed all the anecdotal info. I still don’t know very much about the cow killer especially where they create their nests. How large are the nests. I live in central Virginia and see them usually in late July anD August. They are fascinating insects and I have found that they make a noise almost like a scream and you will not likely squash one because they are incredibly tough. I know that most posters do not like to kill any of nature. I too like to observe nature and usually have no desire to kill. But if there is any danger to me or family on my property they will go to insect heaven.
Cow Killers do not build nests. According to Texas A&M Agrilife Extension: “Life Cycle: Females seek the immature stages of ground-nesting bees, digging to the nesting chambers and eating a hole through the cocoon. She deposits and egg on the host larva, which soon hatches into a white legless grub. The immature velvet-ant eats the host larva, developing through several larval stages before forming a pupa.” According to BugGuide: “Invades the nest of bumble bees, especially Bombus fraternus. Female finds a host nest, digs down and deposits one egg near brood chamber. Larva enters the host brood chamber, kills host larvae, feeds on them, then pupates in the brood chamber.”
We just saw a yellow velvet ant at Lyman Lake (northeast Arizona, Apache County).
Spotted another of the big fuzzy ants yesterday morning, same general
location, except it wasn’t a very pretty color, sort of faded, no-
color…Watched it awhile, to see if it had a mate or companion…
Fascinating little critter…
You are using my Flickr photo of a Spanish velvet ant in your display link. You are breaking its license if you do not credit my name to my photo. Please comply. Gail Hampshire
We apologize for any copyright infringement you believe we have violated. We only posted the images that were submitted, but we realize that when we click the link embedded in the identification request, it does not go to your FlickR posting, but to the image. We will correct the problem if you provide us with your FlickR link. Again, we did not post your image, but a link to your image because that is what the person who submitted the images included in the request.
Yikes! Found one of these… Female… In Palmdale CA!