What the heck???

[3dkicker]

Sitting outside today and had a bug run past my foot. Thing was quick, real quick, and red. Took off under a table. Pulled out the cell phone to take a pic but it wouldn't stay still. So I switch to video and it takes off and hides under a golf cart. Finally it takes off and I'm chasing after it with my cell phone trying to video this 1-2" red and black ant.....yes ant. Huge and bright red with black spot. Never seen anything like it. So I'm checking out the video later and really don't get a good pic of it. Too fast for the camera. I decide to look it up and find out it's not an ant but a wasp. Here's what I found online....called a velvet ant.

[Jrob78]

That thing looks scary, I bet it has a nasty sting.

[MississippiBoy]

We call those cow ants down here. Not sure why.....probably either because they're as big as a cow, or they kill cows for food. Do NOT let one sting you......you think a wasp or hornet hurts, you ain't felt nothin'. And you just about can't kill it, either. Bring a hammer....

[3dkicker]

I wanted to stomp on it but since it was my first time seeing one I didn't want to kill it.

[bassboogieman]

If a bug can be pretty - that's a pretty bug.

[MississippiBoy]

Originally Posted by 3dkicker

I wanted to stomp on it but since it was my first time seeing one I didn't want to kill it.

Good decision. It probably would've carried you off....

[Top Tiger]

Back home, those are called "Cow Ants". Cause they'll bring down a cow. The sole of your shoe is the best thing for them!

[Bubba_Bruiser]

I got popped on the thumb by one, one time and it felt like an electric shock went out of my ear.

The thing is though, I had already killed it. My dad had showed me when I was younger how far their stinger would come out. He would catch them and cut them in half and it would jut out about an 1/8" for a few moments. I did the same to show my nephews and somehow got popped. I have never attempted the demonstration again.

[Bassboss]

Thing looks freaking awesome! Good find, bet you felt like Steve Irwin chasing that sucker down. lol

[Tavery5]

We call them Velvet Ants and they will sting the chit out of you.

[bcklash]

Originally Posted by Bassboss

Thing looks freaking awesome! Good find, bet you felt like Steve Irwin chasing that sucker down. lol

Goodun Sammy!!!!!!!

[bamabassman]

cow ant velvet ant...they ARE pretty but man do they hurt! and a hammer is the best way to kill it. preferably when it's on HARD rock or ground. got lots of em here. and YES they move FAST.

lol!! i can see what daniel said aobut carrying oyu off too. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!


thing i don't understand is why they only travel alone? anyone ever see where of IF they have a hive or something?

[bassinbob]

Thank goodness we don't have them up here. Bubba sounds like you got hit by a heat seeking missle.

[WTL]

Ive seen them, havent been stung yet. Their northward migration is assuredly global warming related.

[keithdog]

Glad we don't have those things around here. Sheeeesshhhhh!

[3dkicker]

Originally Posted by Bassboss

Thing looks freaking awesome! Good find, bet you felt like Steve Irwin chasing that sucker down. lol

"Because when they strike it can be that quick that if they're within range, you're dead, you're dead in your tracks. And his head weighs more than my body so it's WHACK!"

I wish I could get the video to load to show how fast the thing was moving. Says below 3/4" but one I saw had to be that plus.....

Common Name: Red velvet ant or "cow killer"
Scientific Name: Dasymutilla occidentalis (Linnaeus)
Order: Hymenoptera

Description: These insects are wasps, not ants. Females are wingless and covered with dense hair, superficially resembling ants. The red velvet-ant is the largest velvet-ant species, reaching about 3/4 inch in length. They are black overall with patches of dense orange-red hair on the thorax and abdomen. Males are similar but have wings and can not sting.
Several other species of velvet ants are common in Texas, including the gray velvet ant or thistle down mutillid, Dasymutilla beutenmulleri, and D. fulvohirta. Most are solitary parasites of immature wasps (Vespidae and Sphecidae), solitary bees and some other insects such as beetles and flies. Winged males can be confused with other Hymenoptera. Adults of the tiphiid wasp, Myzinum sp. (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae) are black and yellow, 3/4 inch long . They can occur in large numbers, sometimes on flowers of landscape plants. Larvae are parasites of white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabeidae).
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.
Habitat, Food Source(s), Damage: Mouthparts are for chewing. Lone females can be found crawling on the ground, particularly in open sandy areas. Adults are most common during the warm summer months. Larvae are solitary, external parasites of developing bumble bees. Pest Status: The common name, "cow killer," is thought to describe the painful sting these insects can inflict to man and animals, although it is doubtful that many cows are actually stung.

[Dave63]

Saw one in my step daughter's yard last weekend and told them what it was and to be very careful around them. The grand daughters then stomped it out until it was very dead because it was "gross". I think they enjoyed it and now they know what to do next time they find one. Knowing them, they will now go out hunting them...for sport...

[carolina-rig-01]

We have lots of them around here. We call them Cow Killers and they are very tough critters. Haven't been stung by one yet though.