Bug identification question

Factual Questions
1

I’m going to have to describe this thing from memory, so if my description is too vague for an answer, I understand.

Many years ago, when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old, I was playing in my back yard in Salinas, California.

I saw a bug - it was a little over half an inch long. It had the basic body shape of an ant. It was a bright reddish-orange color, and it was covered with a velvety fuzz.

Its color and failure to make any effort to evade me should have tipped me off to the fact that it had a very, very nasty bite. I poked at it with my finger, and it bit me. Its mandibles didn’t even appear to break my skin, but it was one of the most painful things I’d ever experienced, up to that point. So, I assume it was venomous in some way. My finger swelled up and hurt for a little while, went numb for a little while longer, then went back to normal, with no permanent damage.

I just thought about this event recently, and my curiosity as to what type of bug bit me was piqued. My Google-Fu is weak, so any help would be appreciated.

2

Almost certainly a Mutillid, or Velvet ant.

Not actually an ant, but a wingless wasp.

These are fun insects. Only the females sting, the males are harmless, but can be very impressive-looking (easy to tell apart - the males have wings). Its a time-honored entomologist joke to threaten someone with a male mutillid :slight_smile:

3

Damn, you beat me before I could log in and answer it.:slight_smile: Anyway just doing a quick check and it’s not the worst sting (pain wise) you could have gotten.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starr_sting_pain_scale

4

That looks to be the culprit. Just looking at it brings back unpleasant memories.

On the plus side, I learned on that day that they aren’t immune to a good stomping.