It is the wingless female of the wasp species Mutilla europaea that gives it the common name of Large Velvet Ant. They are solitary insects which may be encountered hurrying across sandy paths on heathland in Hampshire’s New Forest. As well as their bright colours being a warning to would-be predators, other deterrents include the production of a loud squeak and a chemical smell. If these fail, then this wasp can deliver a painful sting!
Immature M. europaea wasps develop within the young stages of bumblebees and other insects. The female wasp enters the nest of its host and lays an egg directly into a pupa of the bee. The egg of the velvet ant hatches, and the emerging larva proceeds to feed on the host pupa until, itself, is ready to pupate and develop into an adult wasp. The male wasps do have wings but need to search for, and then mate with, the females on the ground before parting and going separate ways.
