Red Imported Fire Ant vs Velvet Ant
Red Imported Fire Ants and velvet ants are easy to mix up at a glance, but a few details separate them quickly. Here is how to tell which one you found and what, if anything, you should do about it.
Quick answer
Check for this first. A red imported fire ant has mixed sizes of copper-red workers in one colony, while a velvet ant has dense, bright red or orange fuzz with black bands.
Side-by-side comparison
| Red Imported Fire Ant | Velvet Ant | |
|---|---|---|
| Group | Ants | Bees & Wasps |
| Scientific name | Solenopsis invicta | Dasymutilla occidentalis |
| Size | 2–6 mm | 15–25 mm |
| Colors | Red and Brown | Red and Black |
| Legs | 6 legs | 6 legs |
| Wings | No | No |
| Bites or stings | Bites, Stings | Stings |
| Risk | Health risk | Can bite or sting |
| Key feature | Mixed sizes of copper-red workers in one colony | Dense, bright red or orange fuzz with black bands |
Key differences
- Group: Red Imported Fire Ant belongs to ants, while velvet ant belongs to bees & wasps. Elbowed antennae and a pinched waist with one or two nodes.
- Size: Velvet Ants are larger, reaching 25 mm, while red imported fire ants top out around 6 mm.
- Color: Red Imported Fire Ants are red and brown; velvet ants are red and black.
- Risk: the red imported fire ant can cause medically significant bites, stings or disease, while the velvet ant can bite or sting, usually with mild, local effects.
- Signature feature: Red Imported Fire Ants: mixed sizes of copper-red workers in one colony. Velvet Ants: dense, bright red or orange fuzz with black bands.
How to identify red imported fire ants
A small, aggressive reddish-brown ant that builds dome-shaped mounds of loose soil in sunny lawns and fields across the southern US. When disturbed, workers swarm and sting repeatedly.
- Mixed sizes of copper-red workers in one colony
- Loose, fluffy dirt mounds with no central opening
- Swarms quickly up legs when the mound is disturbed
How to identify velvet ants
Not an ant at all but a wingless female wasp covered in bright red, velvety hair. It runs across sandy ground in summer and lays eggs in the nests of ground-nesting bees.
- Dense, bright red or orange fuzz with black bands
- Wingless females that run quickly over sand
- Squeaks when handled
Which one is more dangerous?
The red imported fire ant carries more risk. Fire ant stings burn, form white pustules, and can cause severe allergic reactions in sensitive people.
Fire ant stings burn, form white pustules, and can cause severe allergic reactions in sensitive people. Its sting is famously painful, earning it the name cow killer, but it is not deadly and it isn't aggressive.
Where and when you'll see each
Red Imported Fire Ants turn up in lawns and grass and in yards and on patios, mostly in spring, summer and fall. Velvet Ants turn up in lawns and grass and in yards and on patios, mostly in summer.
Because they share habitat, you may find both in the same place, so check each individual.
What to do if you find one
Red Imported Fire Ants: Broadcast a fire ant bait across the yard in warm, dry weather. Read the full removal guide for more.
Velvet Ants: no control is needed. Its sting is famously painful, earning it the name cow killer, but it is not deadly and it isn't aggressive.
Biology: ants and bees & wasps
Ants live in colonies ruled by one or more egg-laying queens. The workers you see are sterile females foraging for the rest of the colony, so killing visible ants rarely solves anything. Winged ants, called swarmers, appear when a mature colony sends out new kings and queens.
Bees and wasps belong to the same order as ants. Social species such as honey bees, bumble bees, yellowjackets and hornets live in colonies with a queen, while solitary species such as mud daubers and cicada killers raise their young alone. Only females can sting, because the stinger is a modified egg-laying tube.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between red imported fire ants and velvet ants?
Group: Red Imported Fire Ant belongs to ants, while velvet ant belongs to bees & wasps. Elbowed antennae and a pinched waist with one or two nodes.
Which is bigger, a red imported fire ant or a velvet ant?
Red Imported Fire Ant: 2–6 mm. Velvet Ant: 15–25 mm.
Do red imported fire ants or velvet ants bite?
Red Imported Fire Ants can bite and can sting. Velvet Ants do not bite and can sting.
Where are they usually found?
Red Imported Fire Ants: in lawns and grass and in yards and on patios. Velvet Ants: in lawns and grass and in yards and on patios.