2015
WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge
~Vivid~

The cow killer ant stands out with it’s vivid color and it’s deadly legend.
I remember when I was a wee child being warned about these ants. Every one that was seen around our tiny country farm was terminated immediately. I was an adult before I learned the truth about the ant.

The cowkiller ant or red velvet ant is actually a wingless female-wasp (species Dasymutilla occidentalis).  The male looks similar to the female only with black wings. The males don’t sting, however the female has a toxic sting. The sting is painful, but not strong enough to actually kill a cow as the old folklore implies.
You can read more about it: here
http://www.orkin.com/ants/cow-killer-ant/

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Wishing you all fun with the WP photo challenge!