What Are Velvet Ants?

Velvet ants are not ants at all but wasps. There are about 4000 species of velvet ant and they are all solitary wasps. They get their name from their appearance – they have short velvety bristles all over their bodies and antennae and the females are wingless and scuttle about on the ground – just like ants.

Male velvet ants are a bit bigger than the females and they have wings and so can fly about looking for food.

Velvet ants are common in most of the temperate regions of the world and some species occur in Europe and Britain. Once species, Mutilla europaea is an enemy of bees. The female velvet ant mates in autumn and then buries herself and remains dormant for the winter. The male dies when the weather turns cold. In the spring, the female wakes up and searches for a bee's nest. She paralyses the bee larvae and are developing there and lays her own eggs. Her larvae hatch and feast on the dead bee larvae and take over the nest.