Velvet ants are not ants. Velvet ants are part of the wasp family.

Velvet ants, like other wasps and bees feed on nectar. Unlike the female velvet ant, males have wings but no stingers. The male velvet ant will fly low to the ground looking for females.

When mating, the female makes a squeaking sound by rubbing one abdominal segment against another. Both will squeak when frightened.

It´s the female who is responsible for finding a home for her eggs to hatch but she is sneaky and resourceful and will lay her eggs in another ground wasp or bee´s nest where they will hatch and feed on the bee´s or wasp larvae.

Although both the white and the red velvet ant have powerful stings, it´s the red velvet ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis) that has been nicknamed “Cow Killer.”

It’s sting may hurt but it doesn´t kill. If stung, it is said to hurt “like you know what” for a good 20 minutes. The red velvet ant can be found in the eastern and southern states and west towards Texas.