Wow, never seen that before. Thanks for the heads up!

Bernice, there is a 2nd link on my response that explains exactly what Seth described. Only the female stings however, as the male is not capable to do this. And they do say that the female sting is the worse pain you would ever feel and it lasts for more then 20 min. Ouch!

Looks Nasty ----- !

The only thing I would do is get the Raid !!!

AHA wbridge..thanks I evidently didnt see the second link becaus I clicked on the link instead of the>>>>>>>> thingy! Have never seen them but if I do...I will stay away ..far far away from them. I have a loud laugh , will that irritate them? (Jusstt kidding!)

@Hometipster - Uh, just what kind of bumble bees you got there??? This guy is black & red. BB's are black & Yellow!! Just sayin . . .

Carla - within the past couple of weeks there was a lengthy discussion about wasps, hornets etc. and how to get rid of the nests - this one was the typical paper looking nest built up in a corner. But, one of the suggestions was to use WD40 as the oil disables them when it coats their wings ...»

Susan, do not waste your time with WD40 or you will become a bee stinger pin cushion. Get professional help on larger nests, Also spray them late in day early evening when there all back at the nest. There are plenty of good quality wasp and hornet sprays that will shoot up to 15 feet. Also many brands foam up when they come into contact with objects such as nests and flying bees. This prevents them from flying away.

I have bees & bumble bees in my yard. The bee posted here doesn't look like a bee or a bumble bee I have ever seen. I have so many plants that attract bees & I am not afraid of getting close to them as I know how important they are to the environment. I would watch out for ""NEW" bees.

Carla, your kitty doesn't get stung???

Now that's really wild! If he got stung I'm sure you'd know about it. I'm bettin he'd be howling and have a really swollen paw!!

here in texas we call them ground wasps the males fly the females don't and yes they do sting

Patricia R, please rethink your immediate response to kill things before you even know what they are. You may kill vitally needed pollinators and spew dangerous chemicals without even thinking. Not nice to mess with Mother Nature.

PS. I got stung by a bumblebee last year ( I accidentally pinched him) and thought I'd have a nasty reaction, as I usually have with bee stings, and within a few seconds it was fine! They are mostly bluff.

We call them Velvet Ants and I read somewhere that only the wingless females sting.

heard on NPR a few years ago about the cow ants . They said the females loose their wings once they have mated....

They are actually a solitary wasp, called velvet ants because of their appearance and cow killers because of their painful sting. Yes, the wingless females sting! They are not aggressive but if you are tromping around outside in your bare feet and encounter one, it will surely remind you to wear your shoes next time! They cause no damage and should't be killed. The adults feed on nectar and lay their eggs on the cicada killer wasps cocoons, which the velvet ant larvae devour. It's a wasp eat wasp world out there!

Hi Bernice,

You're funny. I also use the word thingy. Like I can't find the thingy or where did I put that thingy LOL It was interesting to read about the red and black ant. I had never heard of them. We don't have them in Southern Ca. I like looking around at the different things that I see on Hometalk. Especially gardening and seeing all the cute things people put in there gardens that are what some people call junk.

Irene ha! yup , a lot of thingys in this world. I am also at the age where I can call everyone hun...male or female. I don't have to bother with names anymore! relief!Because I many times, can't think of them quickly enough.

Now that is a great idea hun. Except what do you say when you need to introduce someone and can't remember his her name? LOL I trimmed my hybiscus back yesterday the frost just about killed it. Then trimmed up my butterfly bush it was a little overgrown. There was a pretty orange butterfly checking for blossoms but the bush isn't in bloom yet. Today I have to finish cleaning up all the branches.

I don't know what this thing is. But when I was a kid I used to see a small spider that was red and black and fuzzy looking. I never touched on. Not a black widow which has a vionin shape on its belly. I never touched a black widow either not even to turn one over to see its belly. They are very easy to recognize because they are shiny and black. They give me the willies.

When I first saw it I thought Velvet Ant, and another person posted that name. In the same family as all "bees" hymenoptera. I only see them occasionally on trails crawling only, where they have their nests (in coastal California). I feel it is treat to see one. Some are red, some are reddish blond. Beautiful critters. Yes I have heard that their stings are quite painful.

I was stung by 10-15 fire ants and one or two of these things when I was about 5.. My dad stood there video taping it as my mother stripped me in a panic and squirted me with a water hose while I screamed and did a weird pain jig. Maybe this is why I have a fear of insects? lol