Velvet Ants

Insects are not always what they appear to be!
The velvet ants, clad in their colourful livery of soft hair, are not true ants at all . . . . . .

Despite their popular name, velvet ants are not true ants but in fact belong to a family of parasitic wasps called Mutillidae. Indeed, the males of most species are winged (like a typical wasp), but the females are always wingless and very ant-like in appearance, with much of the body covered in dense velvety hairs. It is the females which are most often noticed scurrying about in the open, especially in sandy places, and give rise to the common name of the group. Pictured below is the wingless female of a North American velvet ant, Mutilla (= Dasymutilla) occidentalis (actual size about 15-20 mm long).

Velvet ants are often conspicuous and brightly coloured black and scarlet, as in the example illustrated from North America, or black with orange or whitish hairs. The males and females of a given species usually differ in their markings, and different species vary in size up to about 20 mm long. There are several European species of which Mutilla europaea is the largest (12-14 mm long) and commonest, although none of these insects is really common. Very little is known about the general biology of most velvet ants, except that all are parasitic and the majority lay their eggs in the nests of other wasps and bees. Their grubs eat the food provisions stored by the rightful owner of the invaded nest and also the grubs and pupae of the host itself. The European velvet ant (M. europaea) is a parasite of bumblebees. Some species have an unusual courtship, with mating accomplished in the air, the winged male carrying the flightless female about while copulating.

Female velvet ants are equipped with a very efficient and powerful stinging apparatus. The sting is curved and sometimes nearly as long as the abdomen, and with it they can inject a very potent poison. Hence, some of the popular local names for these insects, such as 'cow-killer' and 'mule-killer'. I am not sure how true some of these names are! To my knowledge the sting is not fatal to larger animals, but it can be quite severe and painful. Only the wingless females can sting - the winged males are quite harmless.