The velvet ant, a striking insect, often causes confusion due to its common name and appearance. Known for its vibrant coloration and fuzzy body, it is commonly mistaken for an ant. Its distinctive features and painful sting make it an intriguing creature.
Identifying the Velvet Ant
Despite their name, velvet ants are not true ants but are wasps belonging to the family Mutillidae. Female velvet ants are wingless, resembling large, hairy ants as they move across the ground. This characteristic, combined with their dense, velvety hair, gives them their common name.
Velvet ants display bright, warning coloration, including shades of red, orange, black, white, silver, or gold. This vibrant appearance serves as an aposematic signal, indicating potential danger to predators. These insects exhibit sexual dimorphism; while females are wingless, males possess wings and generally resemble other wasps. Velvet ants typically range from 0.25 to 1.25 inches long, depending on the species.
The Potent Sting
Velvet ants are recognized for their extremely painful sting, leading to the nickname “cow killer” for some species. This moniker stems from the intensity of the pain, not from the wasp’s ability to harm cattle. The sting of certain species, like Dasymutilla klugii, can rate high on the Schmidt pain index, lasting up to 30 minutes.
The venom of a velvet ant is generally less toxic than that of a honeybee, and these wasps are not aggressive unless provoked. If a sting occurs, immediate symptoms involve intense, burning pain, localized swelling, and redness. For relief, clean the affected area and apply ice to reduce swelling. Over-the-counter pain relievers may help manage discomfort. Medical attention should be sought for severe allergic reactions or if symptoms worsen significantly.
Where They Live and What They Do
Velvet ants are found globally, with a concentration of species in arid and semi-arid regions of North and South America. They prefer open, dry, and sunny habitats such as fields, meadows, grasslands, and woodlands with sandy soil. Their presence is often linked to the availability of host species.
Adult velvet ants feed on nectar from flowers and consume water. Their life cycle involves a parasitic relationship with other insects. Female velvet ants seek out the nests of ground-nesting bees and wasps, or sometimes flies and beetles. They lay eggs on or near the host’s larvae or pupae, and the developing velvet ant larvae then consume the host. These wasps are solitary creatures, meaning they do not live in colonies or form hives.