Male velvet ant

6942.         Sumbitch got hit five times with a flyswatter before I killed it. Waynesboro, Tennessee. United States

Number 6942. This is a male velvet ant (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), likely in the genus Timulla. These are parasitic primarily on ground-nesting bees and wasps, and the wingless females (sometimes called ‘cow-killers’) have a wickedly painful sting. Males lack a sting, and are harmless.