Entomology (Study of Bugs)/Id type Ant

Advertisement

Expert: Midori - 8/23/2008


Question
I live in south Alabama, we have an insect that looks like a large ant color red. The sting is very painful. We called it a cowkiller. I do not know any other name for it. Can you tell the name of it?

Answer
Cowkiller is a nickname for a Velvet Ant, which actually isn't an ant at all, but a type of wasp. They act like an ant more then a wasp, which accounts for the name.

Here is a very detailed page all about the velvet ant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_ant

Entomology (Study of Bugs)

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Midori

Expertise

On indefinite vacation because the users who send me questions never read this blurb anyway. They just send me any question even if it says I can't answer it. Use Google and figure out the answer yourself because frankly, I'm tired of it.

Experience

Raising ant lions to adulthood.

Education/Credentials
None at all

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.