Sorry in advance, it took a tennis shoe impact. No wings on this one

Red Velvet Ant. They are actually a wasp though.

Thanks ntx.

AKA Cow Killer….sounds like the sting is pretty darn painful. Wingless so female, and only females sting. Glad it met the rubber on my road (driveway).

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.


How bad is the velvet ant sting? The velvet ant has multiple defensive strategies, but is best known for its extremely painful sting (female only), earning it the nickname of “cow killer,” not because it can kill a cow but because the sting hurts so badly that it feels like it could kill a cow. The sting may be painful, but the venom is not very toxic. Its defenses include the ability to run fast and evasively, warning coloration, stridulatory warning sounds (rubbing together body parts), a chemical secretion, and venom.

I have lots of cicada killers so this makes sense

I was stung by one of those when I was about 8-9. I thought I was going to die.

Can’t believe someone from Texas doesn’t know what that is!
Even if you live in the city, if your an “outdoorsman” you should know what a cow killer is!

I have never seen one and I have been in the outdoors for 65 years.
If I see one now I will be sure and stomp the heck out of it!

I see one a year around the house. I also find a or maybe the same speckled king snake.

Cow ant or cow killer. They are fuzzy looking but don’t pick them up. They can light you up. Hard as heck to kill unless on a hard surface. Step on them on dirt or grass and they just shake it off.