Cow Killer

[AmberC]

Saw this gal on our hike yesterday. Its a female Velvet Ant, which are not really ants, but wasps. They are sometimes called Cow Killers due to the fact that the sting of the female can be so painful they say it could kill a cow (lol). Males have wings, females do not. The difference between these guys and ants is that there is not as big a space on these between the thorax and abdomen as there is on ants.

Sorry I could not get a better picture It was really quick and I was having trouble focusing when it went into the grass.

[paulnj]

That's a pretty interesting wasp!