Velvet Ant Velvet Ant - Dasymutilla sp . Called ants, these colorful insects are actually wingless female wasps of the family Mutillidae. These wasps have one of the most painful stings of any of the stinging insects. Males of this species are winged and usually larger than the females.
Most velvet ants prey on the larvae of other insects.
Most species of this group occur in the South and western U.S. and are found most often in open spaces.