MUTILLID (Velvet Ant) WASP
credit: Bob Wilkin Bugguide.net
Wasps include some of the most often-noticed, and least-noticed, insects in urban landscapes. Most people think of wasps as dangerous, but nearly all species of wasps have some value as predators of other insects. Only the social wasps (all paper nest makers) are potentially dangerous to people.
Many wasps are tiny, some almost microscopic. These smaller species are mostly parasitic on other insects, including many pests. One of the reasons your garden is not continually overrun with insect pests is because of the many species of tiny beneficial wasps.
F@ctSheets on wasps
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How to recognize and control common Texas wasps: Paper wasps, Yellowjackets and Solitary Wasps, E-239
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The ants that are really wasps: Velvet Ants
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Source:
http://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/biting-stinging/wasps/
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Content and copyright permission generously granted by:
Austin Grow Green: www.growgreen.org, who works in close association with:
Texas AgriLife Extension Service: https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu
Marjory Wildcraft is an Expedition Leader and Bioneer Blogger with The [Grow] Network, which is an online community that recognizes the wisdom of “homegrown food on every table.” Marjory has been featured as an expert on sustainable living by National Geographic, she is a speaker at Mother Earth News fairs, and is a returning guest on Coast to Coast AM. She is an author of several books, but is best known for her “Grow Your Own Groceries” video series, which is used by more than 300,000 homesteaders, survivalists, universities, and missionary organizations around the world.
