Wildlife Watching Wednesday: Perilous Velvet Ants

By: Tom Berg

Velvet ants – have you ever heard of them? Better yet, have you ever seen one? These relatively large, solitary insects look like ants, but they are actually wasps. The female velvet ant is wingless, but the males have wings and can fly. They are called “velvet” ants because of the fuzzy females, whose dense hair looks like velvet. They are often jet black with bright orange patches, but sometimes they sport other colors like yellow, white or red.

Only the females can sting, and they are armed with a tremendously painful sting. They are sometimes called “Cow Killers” because their sting is reportedly so painful it can kill a large animal like a cow. This is not really true, because their venom is not particularly toxic. In fact, the sting from a honey bee is more toxic than that of the velvet ant. If you are unfortunate enough to be stung, however, you might argue the point!

Despite their ability to sting, female velvet ants are not very aggressive. They are often so docile they will just emit an audible, high-pitched squeak when provoked to warn anyone harassing them that they will sting. So be careful and don’t handle them.

Adult velvet ants feed on nectar and water. Females seek out the underground nests of bumblebees and wasps to lay their eggs. The larval velvet ants are parasitic and eat the immature bees and wasps, so they are helpful for keeping ground-nesting bees and wasp populations in check.

Velvet ants are usually solitary and are somewhat uncommon, especially in more northern climates. They prefer fields and sandy soil where burrowing bees and wasps tend to make their nests. Since velvet ants favor warmer environments, they are more common in the southern states and along the east coast.

Who knew velvet ants were so interesting?

Tom Berg is an award-winning writer and photographer and has been a freelance writer since 1993. He is also the Executive Director of the Hoosier Outdoor Writers organization in Indiana and is a member of several other writers groups.

Have you done something interesting outdoors? Join Global Outdoors and write a review to tell everyone about it! We’re building the home for trusted reviews of outdoor experiences, outfitters, and guides. Help us out and you’ll be entered to win free trips!