It is a wasp, not an ant, and the sting is severe enough to have earned it the nickname cow killer. It kills nothing of the sort — the pain is intense and short-lived, with no lasting harm to a person who is not allergic.
We identify, we don't diagnose. If you've been bitten or stung and symptoms develop, or you're worried, seek medical attention.
Size15–25 mm
MarkingsDense bright red-orange fur over a black body, unmistakable on open ground · The one you see walking is wingless — that is the female, and she is the one with the sting
WhereOpen sandy ground, lawn edges, pasture and path sides in warm weather.
SeasonAdults in summer, active in the heat of the day
How to tell it apart
Dense bright red-orange fur over a black body, unmistakable on open ground
The one you see walking is wingless — that is the female, and she is the one with the sting
Males have wings and no sting at all
Hard, almost armoured body that resists being squashed
Squeaks audibly when handled or trapped
Where you’ll find it
The eastern and southern United States, with related Dasymutilla species across most of the country including the desert southwest.
Open sandy ground, lawn edges, pasture and path sides in warm weather.
Adults in summer, active in the heat of the day.
How it behaves
The wingless female you see hurrying across bare ground is hunting for bumblebee and ground-wasp nests, where she lays her eggs on the host larvae. She does not defend a nest of her own and stings only when trapped — which most often means underfoot, or in a hand that picked up something fuzzy and red. Barefoot children on lawns are the classic case.
What a bite looks like
A small puncture with local redness and swelling. There is very little to see relative to how much it hurts.
Immediate, sharp, burning pain out of all proportion to the animal's size, easing substantially within about half an hour.
We identify, we don't diagnose. The pain itself needs no treatment beyond a cold compress. Seek medical attention for swelling spreading away from the sting, difficulty breathing, or if a young child is stung.
A skin mark cannot confirm which animal caused it. Read the bug bite and sting guide for the limits and the symptoms that should end an online search.
You’ve found one indoors
Do not pick it up, and be aware of it if children are barefoot on a lawn in summer. It is not aggressive and will keep walking if you let it. There is no reason to control them — they are solitary, uncommon, and parasitise other insects rather than damaging anything.
Common questions
Can a velvet ant kill a cow?
No. The nickname is folklore about how much it hurts, not about what it does. There is no record of one causing serious harm to a cow or to a person.
Is it an ant or a wasp?
A wasp. The females are wingless, which is what makes them look like ants, but they are mutillid wasps and the sting is a wasp's sting.
Why is it squeaking?
It stridulates — rubs body segments together — when alarmed. It is a warning, and it is audible if you are close enough to be worried.
Do the winged ones sting?
No. Winged velvet ants are males and have no sting. Only the wingless females do.
Judy Gallagher · CC-BY-SA