Last year was the first time i saw a Velvet Ant since I moved to Ok. and this year I have seen lots of them so I really do not know what to make of this ,Maybe they hitch a ride home with me from one of my many trips to Louisiana ,What do Y'all think?? I would like to send a pic but they sre really fast..I am still trying to capture one in my camera not in my hand I was taught better than that by one of the oh so pretty creatures when I was just a child
Velvet Ant
Here is one for you to look at. I took this one when I lived in Ben Wheeler.
I had never heard of Velvet Ants so I looked it up and here are some pictures and info;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutillidae
Josephine.
Another name they go by is cow killer in TN. The sting is supposed to be pretty bad so that is enough warning for me.
Nasty little critters!
Cow ants ~ and they hurt like the devil. And very hard shelled too.
I see these guys all the time and give them all the room they want. I have never been bit but have heard horror tales of great pain.
Lots of folks up here call them Cow Ants and I can attest to the paiful nature of the bite/sting since from what I read they are a wasp..
I haven't encounters any of these ants here. That is a great photo of one. They are quite pretty to look at .... but not to tangle with from what I read here.
They are beautiful, I love these ladies! I might not feel the same way if I were to get stung, but they seem keen on running in the opposite direction when I'm around them. Unlike a red wasp...nasty attitude. I have noticed more of the velvets this year.There so much more bare ground this year. It's hard for me to tell if there is more of them or I can just see them better.
I'm going to be on the lookout for them down here. I have seen lots of different kinds of ants lately probably, due to the drought, they are seeking moisture. Thank goodness, I haven't encountered fire ants. I have read that during drought conditions, their nest structure includes a deep network of underground foraging tunnels which extends down to the water table. I guess if it ever rains again here, their mounds will pop up again.
Have not seen any Velvets since the rains came but will still be on the lookout for them
grits no whining allowed.
Rain my whiney hiney.
No whiney here over one inch of rain in two days,just unbelievable how much the trees and other plants have revived
What soze are the velvets ?
All the ants in our area are moving
inside to take advantage of the
a/c running almost 24/7 !!!!!
Wondering which is worse ...
bies from fire or velvets ?
I have scars from fire ant bites
I got over 25 urs ago 11
The velvet ant is about 1" long and is not an ant but is a wingless wasp as to which would be worse i got some fire ant bites last year but don't remember how bad they were on the other hand was stung by a velvet 60+ years ago and still know better than to touch another one
With a nickname like 'cattle killer' I think I would rather be attacked by fire ants.
Tell a funny.... At the lake skiing once, injured my left leg and was hobbling around. Friend drove me to the restrooms (it was dark) and when we got back and parked I got out of the car right into an ant mound. This was my right leg....I made a heck of a spectale jerking my right leg up to try to slap at ants and then when it hurt putting it back down because I couldn't stand up. Everyone around the fire was laughing except me. I started grabbing bottled water and dousing my leg. No clue as to what kind they were. LOL!
Oh, no Sheila, that's really awful! It's like something straight out of an old slapstick comedy. lol
Brandon
Yes, I would hate to have that happen to me.
I can laugh now, but it wasn't funny that night! LOL!