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About this time of year, we start receiving several telephone calls from concerned citizens who spot what looks like the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the ant world in the yard or driveway. What people are seeing are velvet ants, also known as cow killers. Velvet ants are not actually ants; they are wasps in the family Mutilidae. The body of the velvet ant is covered with coppery red and black hairs that give it a velvety appearance. Male velvet ants have wings, but the wingless females are the ones most often spotted by people in their yards. Most species of velvet ants are parasites of other bees and wasps, including formidable creatures like cicada killers. The female velvet ant is often seen scurrying over open, sandy stretches of soil that are the preferred nesting sites for many ground-dwelling bees and wasps. She lays her eggs on or near a developing bees (not on the adults) and her hatching offspring proceed to feed on the helpless host insects.
Female velvet ants make a squeaking sound if they are handled. This is closely accompanied by a distinct scream and cursing by the unfortunate person who picked her up and got stung in the process. Most inquiring minds ask about the severity of the stings. We would say that they are about on par with any bee or wasp sting. Of course, people who are hypersensitive to bee and wasp stings may have a more severe reaction than most of us and should avoid close encounters with the cowkiller. Treatment for velvet ant stings is the same as for any bee/wasp sting.
Velvet ants are not social insects. We're not referring to their nasty dispositions, but to the fact that they are solitary wasps like cicada killers and mud daubers. They do not live in a colony. So, even if you see several velvet ants (which is quite likely the case), they are all individual females doing their own thing and roaming about in search of prey. For this reason, dousing your yard with pesticides is not going to be extremely effective because there is no nest of these things for you to target. Eliminating any yellowjacket nests may help to reduce velvet ant activity to some extent by removing the velvet ant's food source, but it's difficult to find every nest and so this has only moderate impact in the long term. In all likelihood, when next year rolls around they'll be back.
The velvet ant has a tough exoskeleton which protects her from stings by the host wasps in the nests that they invade and it similarly provides some protection from light-hearted (or light footed) attempts to crush her. Never employ this control method while barefoot. This technique is best applied while wearing workboots or shoes. Sandals or flip-flops are not classified as appropriate personal protective equipment for velvet ant control.
Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
Last modified on August 11, 2003 by Stephen J. Toth, Jr.