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Velvet Ant (Cow Killer): Wingless Wasp, Not an Ant

Q: Big red ant with black stripe—neighbor calls them "cow ants."

It's a female velvet ant (Dasymutilla spp.), a wingless wasp. "Cow killer" refers to its painful sting. Females lay eggs in bumblebee/cicada killer nests; larvae consume host larvae. Don't handle—sting is severe!

Resources: Cowkiller Ant, Velvet Ant.

Velvet ant

About Gardening: Finding Wild Elderberries: Join a Native Plant Rescue; North American Millipede: Harmless but Startlingly Large; Butterfly Identification Resources for Southeast Gardeners; Golden Larch vs. Common Larch: Clearing Up the Confusion; Millet in the Yard: Birdseed Volunteer; Velvet Ant Sting: Painful but Less Toxic Than You Think; Spigelia (Indian Pink): Native Woodland Wildflower; Selaginella: The Charming Club Moss for Shady Groundcover; Identifying Volunteer Sorghum: Birdseed Escapee; Red Velvet Ant: The Wingless Wasp That Packs a Sting

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