Velvet Ants / Scoliid Wasps
Velvet Ants are actually solitary wasps, the females of which are wingless and often bright red, orange or yellow. The colors are a warning that the sting of these wasps (females only) can be very painful. Males of most species are winged and often appear quite different in appearance than the females. Most velvet ants are nocturnal or crepuscular (active at dusk and/or dawn) but some are active during the day. All are parasites of other insects, especially other wasps or solitary bees.
Scoliid Wasps are large, robust, usually hairy solitary wasps that parasitize the larvae of scarab beetles. The sexes are often different in appearance. Females dig to uncover a scarab larvae, sting it to paralyze it and then lay an egg on it and leave the larva to hatch and develop on its own. The paralyzed scarab larva is food for the developing wasp larva. There are five genera and 22 species of Scoliid Wasps in North America.
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