Dasymutilla occidentalis Dasymutilla occidentalis Dasymutilla occidentalis (red velvet ant or eastern velvet ant), is a species of parasitoid wasp native to the eastern United States. It is commonly mistaken for a member of the true ant family, as the female is wingless. The species ranges from Connecticut to Missouri in the north and Florida to Texas in the south. Other common names include cow ant and cow killer. The eastern velvet ant is the largest of the velvet ant species in the United States, attaining an approximate length of 0.75 in (1.9 cm). Adults display aposematic coloration, consisting of black overall coloring
Red imported fire ant species. Although parasitism pressures by these flies do not affect the ants' population density and activity, it has a small effect on a colony population. The strepsipteran insect "Caenocholax fenyesi" is known to infect male ants of this species and attack the eggs, and the mite "Pyemotes tritici" has been considered a potential biological agent against red imported fire ants, capable of parasitising every caste within the colony. Bacteria, such as "Wolbachia", has been found in the red imported fire ant; three different variants of the bacteria are known to infect the red imported fire ant. However, its effect on