velvet ants

[dtn1992]

:wall: around my house we have velvet ants and i was looking for a colony and was gona get queen but cant find a nest. Do they even have nests?:? :?

 

[AR-Tarantula]

No nests for these wasps. They are solitary. The females are the ones you seeing running around on the ground (with no wings). They parasitize the nests of other solitary wasps and bees. The males have wings, but they are rarely seen.

 

[Waspman]

Also, since there is little eusocial activity, the "queen" term doesn't apply to most solitary wasps. They are simply males and females.

 

[crashergs]

lol dtn.. you thought they were ants? :clap:

 

[sublimeskunk37]

lol dtn.. you thought they were ants? :clap:

My best friend thought they were ants too until he got the ever living daylights stung out of him because he picked one up.

 

[bugmankeith]

Besides a sting, do the hairs hurt too?

 

[dtn1992]

i never knew they were wasps
always thought they were ants

 

[Mr_Baker4420]

yes around here people call them cow ants, but that's only because they don't know that they are velvet wasps. they are everywhere. never seen a male though.

 

[Stylopidae]

Do a search on the boards, lots and lots of info on these guys

 

[Waspman]

i never knew they were wasps
always thought they were ants

The name is misleading, but they are considered wasps for a couple of reasons. Ants have elbowed/bent antennae, while wasps do not. Also, wasp petioles and ant petioles are different. Ant petioles have a node or "bump" on them while wasps do not (a petiole connects the thorax and abdomen, like a waist).

Hope that helps!