Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Another bug...

Okay...not a great picture! I only had my phone with me and this booger moved quick! He was a large (1 inch) ant with a red and black velvet coat. I am sure we will all learn soon enough what it is... :-)
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2 comments:

Dana said...

You're giving Nate and I the "freaks" with all your bugs and spiders! For Christmas you should ask Santa for a bug box, a magnifying glass, and maybe an ant farm. Do you think you were an anteater in your past life??

Anonymous said...

found it!

Velvet Ant or Cow Killer

These "ants" are actually wasp! A solitary wasp, the velvet ant does not live in colonies or have a "nest". They are found crawling through lawns, digging around soil, or even in garages where they have wandered in by accident.

Velvet ants are not aggressive and will try to escape from you. The females have a very painful sting if handled. The name "Cow Killer Ant" was given to the velvet ant because of the reputation of the female's sting. It is said that the sting is so painful that it could kill a cow. This handsome insect does make a sound (especially when stepped on) but the squeaks of the cow killer ant would hardly be heard over the painful screams, if the person stepping on the wasp was barefoot.

More at http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/cowkiller.shtml