Red Velvet Ant (also known as 'Cow Killer')
Scientific Name: Dasymutilla occidentalis
Order & Family: Order: Hymenoptera; Family: Mutillidae
Size: Approximately 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) in length.
Natural Habitat
Typically found in open, sunny areas such as sandy fields, meadows, and pastures throughout the eastern United States.
Diet & Feeding
Adults primarily feed on nectar and water; larvae are external parasites of bumble bees and other ground-nesting wasps.
Behavior Patterns
They are solitary wasps; females are wingless and ground-dwelling while males have wings and fly. They display aposematic coloration (warning colors) and can produce a squeaking sound (stridulation) when threatened.
Risks & Benefits
Risk: Females possess an exceptionally long stinger and deliver a very painful sting to humans and pets, earning them the name 'cow killer.' Benefit: They help regulate populations of other ground-nesting hymenoptera through parasitism.
Identified on: 3/17/2026