Beware of the dreaded red velvet 'cow killer' ant in East Texas

They're not really ants.
They're a ground dwelling wasp that when it stings ya-- you think you've been shot.

Last Sat. since the lake is down a few feet in this heat wave, I was down at the dock shoveling
the settled out silt that accumulates under the boat.
Mrs. Winger was trying out a new cookie recipe, and came out to call me that they were done.

We have plenty of the red velvet ants here, and worry about one stinging the dogs. It could kill them.
She saw one and went to stomp it..... Big mistake.
She missed the ant, but got off balance and fell hard enough that it really hurt.

Even with and after a large amount of screaming and yelling:
We couldn't get her in the Explorer, so after the ambulance ride, and a few hours at the emergency room-
It was determined she broke her wrist in two places, as well as her shin bone has a couple of cracks up at the top.

But there is good news!
Neither will need surgery, and in only about eight weeks, she can use crutches and get out of the wheel chair.
We'll be able to see this through, but it sure does put a damper on my range time.:bigsmyl2:

Wishing Mrs. Winger a speedy and full recovery! We have Velvet ants here too, I never heard of anyone getting stung by one although I'm sure it's possible. We also have Tarantula Hawks here, you don't want to get stung by one of those!

Wishing the missus a swift recovery. You don't want to be anywhere near my wife when she sees a scorpion; all hell breaks loose!
Collateral damage is a real concern!
The tarantula hawks and cow killers are two of the only stinging/ biting things here that I've managed to avoid. So far.

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Also wish her a swift recovery. My wife broke/tore the heel bone where her Achilles’ tendon attached and it took 4 casts to get het foot operational again. Each cast would change the angle a little. We have those cow killers in eastern NC. They’re a wingless wasp. I used to see them at the plant where I worked. They liked being under the concrete but would occasionally appear. I don’t think you could stomp one in the dirt but you can on concrete.

I hope Mrs. Winger has a speedy and uneventful recovery.

I've been hit by "velvet ants" twice in my life and that was two times too many!! We've seen a few out rambling around this summer but managed to avoid them. I've found the best way to kill them is to cut them into three pieces and then set them on fire.

Prayers for a swift recovery.

Wayne

That's awful. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

We have velvet wasps (ants) and scorpions here. I leave the “ants” alone - figure they are busy chasing spiders. My wife hates scorpions, calls them “********” regardless of who is around, could be the preacher or the grandkids - she doesn’t care. I’ve been stung many times by scorpions but feels like a bee sting to me. I hate the big red paper wasps that make nests down low - they are hard to see and their stings hurt like hell.

Sorry to hear that..prayers for you both.

Prayers for the Mrs swift and full recovery. Prayers for you too! you will have your hands full with wifely duties for a while. I hope you can cook!

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Originally Posted by shortlegs

I hope you can cook!

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Oh yeah, one of my favorite jobs was as a cook in High School.
I've pretty much always done most of the more fancy cooking around here,
and have been experimenting with different bread recipes over the last year or two.

Thanks everybody.

Your support means, and really does help a lot.

Wishing her a swift recovery, for both you and her. None of those here that I know of. Fire ants and the Florida State Bird (mosquitos) are enough for me to deal with.

get into the comfry tea...the old timers called it "knitbone" for good reason...... some folks will use as a poltice too...I just pick a few leaf tips and chuck in my mug with some hot water...its very like a plain green tea...tastes better to me LOL.
Best of luck with quick recovery. you know there is fly spray in a can in the shops??? hard hold hair spray works EVEN BETTER.... glues the little suckers in place and suffocates them.quicker death than fly spray alone.....DO NOT use cigarette lighter and make into flame thrower...it may seem like a good idea,and seem like a lot of fun...but net curtains ignite really fast...dont ask how I know this LOL.
we have whitetailed spiders here now ,and they get the spray treatment then flushed down the porcelain expressway.

Its hard to stomp them even on concrete. Definitely get a loud pop when you do though.

Just like every other bug, brakeclean kills em.

Speedy recovery, for Mrs. Winger Ed

You'll have to drum up some cookie recipes pronto!!

Regarding the cow killer. I was about 4yrs old and encountered one on my Grandma's front porch, and for grins I laid one of those solid, no holes "Queen Anne" bricks on the "ant" and to my surprise, the brick moved! The ant was strong enough to move the brick trying to crawl out from under it I guess, and that really blew my mind, than an ANT could move a BRICK!!!

I picked up the brick to see this amazing creature who pulled off such an unthinkable act, and I reached down and picked it up (Oh c'mon man, you didn't did you? You're joking me right? Right?) and that bad boy lit into the side of my thumb and it felt like he set it on fire! VERY painful sting, yellow jacket ain't got NOTHING on these things! The ant, when I got loose of it, walked away unhurt. That was a lesson I have never forgotten...

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Originally Posted by DougGuy

that bad boy lit into the side of my thumb and it felt like he set it on fire! VERY painful sting, yellow jacket ain't got NOTHING on these things!

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I was reading somewhere they have the longest stinger of all the wasps, and maybe hornets.
That way, the venom gets way on in there where it'll hurt the most.

Prayers for Mrs. Winger's speedy recovery. This may be a good time to consider a revolver and 22 cal. shot shells, so she can stand back a ways and dispatch them "with authority" or at least have some fun trying.

Praying for Ms Wingers recovery.

We leave them be. As a kid we use to play with them and they do have a stinger that's so long you wonder where they keep it! I think they are a creature of beauty!

Do y'all have the small version as well?