Posted by Summer Spurgeon on September 9, 2008

Q: I currently don't have a picture but I will try and obtain one with the next one of these creatures... We recently moved (only a few blocks) and I have seen this insect that I have never before seen. First of all, when I describe this I am not exaggerating by any means... this is a large (like the size of a nickel) red and black ant, but...it is not fuzzy like the cow killer. And when I say red and black I mean bright red. It is so red that it looks like it has been colored with a red marker. The back half of it is super large and round not like a typical ant. Also, when you go to kill it, it just will not die. I have smashed them repeatedly and it just keeps going. I actually have to dismember the head from the body for it to stop and even then the legs just keep trashing. It's quite disturbing. I cannot find a picture of any insect even closely resembling this and it is very alarming to me because I have 2 small children love to play outdoors but this insect is just creeping me out. If anyone has any info on what this could possibly be please email me at psspurgeon1@excite.com just incase I cannot find my way back to this forum... Thanks

State: Indiana

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: From your description, it sounds to me very much like one of the Velvet Ants. The Cow Killer is just one of about 475 species of Velvet Ants in North America. Although most of these are found in the western portion of the U.S. and Canada, there are some species in the East too. Female Velvet Ants are wingless and able to sting (they're really a kind of wasp, not an ant) but males have wings and do not sting. Many of the Velvet Ants are very fuzzy/hairy but there are some species with little hair on their bodies. I can't be sure of what kind of insect you have without a photo but I do have a website that may give you a photo of a species that looks a lot like your animal. Check out www.whatsthatbug.com

If you do get a chance to photograph your animal, please do so and send us your shot. Thanks for asking and I hope this helps.

John Wiessinger ( September 9, 2008)