Velvet ant

Help with identifying the species your ants

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ScaryBuh
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 10:04 am
Location: Portugal
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Velvet ant

Post: # 23985Post ScaryBuh
Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:07 pm

Hey guys, I caught a black and red bug (don't know if it's an ant) with a white ball on the abdomen. The thing is a bit hairy too.
Date and location of capture, 2017-07-04 Portugal, in the shadow of street, near some crematogaster ants (might be coincidence).




I asked on a facebook forum about ants (Tar Heel Ants Interactive Newsletter and Ant Keeping Group) and they say it's Velvet ant, Mutilidae.
Can I get confirmation?
Some tips how to keep her? Seems it's different than regular queen ants.

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idahoantgirl
Posts: 1521
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 11:52 am
Location: Idaho, USA

Re: Velvet ant

Post: # 23987Post idahoantgirl
Tue Jul 04, 2017 5:54 pm

ScaryBuh wrote:
Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:07 pm
Hey guys, I caught a black and red bug (don't know if it's an ant) with a white ball on the abdomen. The thing is a bit hairy too.
Date and location of capture, 2017-07-04 Portugal, in the shadow of street, near some crematogaster ants (might be coincidence).




I asked on a facebook forum about ants (Tar Heel Ants Interactive Newsletter and Ant Keeping Group) and they say it's Velvet ant, Mutilidae.
Can I get confirmation?
Some tips how to keep her? Seems it's different than regular queen ants.
Yeah... looks like a velvet. SO, these guys aren't ants. They are more like flightless wasps. They have a very powerful sting, so be careful! They are also called cow killers for that reason. To my knowledge you can't keep her like you would an ant. Idk, maybe theres some sort of velvet ant keeping community? :lol:
Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

Keeping Tetramorium immigrans, Tapinoma Sessile

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Jadeninja9
Posts: 732
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2017 9:00 pm
Location: SF Bay Area, California

Re: Velvet ant

Post: # 23988Post Jadeninja9
Tue Jul 04, 2017 6:25 pm

Velvet ants have the third most painful sting in the world so be careful lol
Keeper of:
1x Camponotus Hyatti
1x Lasius alienus colonies
1x Tetramorium immigrans

Serafine

Re: Velvet ant

Post: # 23992Post Serafine
Tue Jul 04, 2017 7:16 pm

Image

You can't keep them. Most of them are parasites on other insects, bumblebees for example.

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