Van Helsing spotted a bright red and black insect crawling on a leaf. “This is a velvet ant, actually a type of wasp,” he said. “Though it looks fuzzy like an ant, it’s a solitary wasp known for its painful sting. Velvet ants are parasitoids—they lay their eggs in the nests of other bees or wasps, where their larvae feed on the host’s offspring.”
Entomology Nugget 🧠
Velvet ants are sometimes called ‘cow killers’ because their sting is extremely painful, but they are not aggressive unless provoked.
Quiz Time!
What type of insect is a velvet ant?
A) Bee
B) Ant
C) Wasp
D) Butterfly
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