THE INSECTLIBRARY FIELD GUIDES
Velvet AntIdentification, facts & practical guidance
Velvet ants are wasps in Mutillidae. The wingless females resemble hairy ants, while males generally have wings.
Compiled by the InsectLibrary Team · Updated · Editorial policy
Identification and lookalikes
Many have bright contrasting hair patterns, but color varies among species. The familiar name cow killer is not evidence that the insect kills cattle.
Can velvet ants sting?
Females can deliver a very painful sting. Males lack a sting. Their larvae develop as parasitoids of other insects, often in the nests of bees or wasps.
What to do next
Do not pick up a velvet ant. Let it move away and photograph it from above without blocking its path. One wandering individual is not an ant colony requiring indoor treatment.
Velvet Ant: species profiles
Explore 166 species profiles covered by this guide, with recorded names and available photos.
Cow Killer
Dasymutilla occidentalis
no rights reservedPacific Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla aureola
Dasymutilla vestita
Dasymutilla vestita
Klug's Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla klugii
Sacken's Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla sackenii
Pseudomethoca simillima
Pseudomethoca simillima
Dasymutilla bioculata
Dasymutilla bioculata
Four-spotted Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla quadriguttata
Dasymutilla ursus
Dasymutilla ursus
Sphaeropthalma pensylvanica
Sphaeropthalma pensylvanica
Red Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla magnifica
Timulla vagans
Timulla vagans
Showing 12 of 166 species. Browse all in Hymenoptera →
Sources and further reading
- mdc.mo.gov - velvet antshttps://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/velvet-ants
References support the subject discussed here; they do not certify every imported directory record. Regional sources describe their own locations. Read our source and correction policy.