How dangerous is the sting of the red velvet wasp?

A red velvet wasp is also called a “cow killer.” They got their nickname from their incredibly painful sting of the females which is said to be strong enough to kill a cow. read more

Velvet ant stings are among the least toxic, while harvester ants are the most. Do not worry unless you are allergic. It hurts a lot though. Also, the technical term for this wasp is the red velvet ant, Dasymutilla magnifica. This wasp has black fuzz that gradients (is that a real word, please suggest edits if not) to red in back. read more

The red velvet ant is, in fact, a wasp. Although the female is wingless and looks very much like an exotic ant, there is one obvious difference. The antennae of ants is jointed, or elbowed and velvet ants have straight, or at most curved, antennae. read more

Their sting is six hundred times less toxic than a harvester ant. So if you are stung again this summer, be thankful you don’t live in Texas. They have fire ants, yellowjackets, killer bees, velvet ants AND harvester ants. read more