Never pick up "fuzzy" ants

[Chopper]

Our shop sits at the edge of a swamp, and various scorpions, rattle snakes, cool bugs, and other critters are always wondering in. A big rule at Flagler Collision is...Kill NOTHING!!! (this will get you fired as fast as theft) Come get me, I'll move (sometimes relocate) the guy in question. Last week, a beautiful black and red fuzzy striped large ant walked into the paint room. I let him (turns out it was a her) walk around on my hand and arm while I studied it. Never saw anything like it...it was beautiful. When one of the guys went to transfer it to his arm, he was screaming! It had stung him---powerfully---this grown man was almost in tears. At the hospital hours later(the searing pain had not lessened at all) he learned it was a Velvet Ant...known as a "Cowkiller" for its sting that is said to kill cattle. Ten days later, the site is still swollen, and flashes burning pain every so often. Doctors said effects are sometimes felt for SIX MONTHS!!! Never pick up red and black fuzzy ants! The ones with wings are males.. This has been a Public Service Announcement

[ZEUS]

So is that a work comp claim?

[Chopper]

he hasn't missed work, and hasn't mentioned the bill

[VCrossfan]

You gotta tell us...did the Ant get away, or is it stuffed in the showroom??

[Chopper]

the sting worked as nature intended.....the animal escaped, and he'll never touch another

[don moore]

ouch
http://eny3005.ifas.ufl.edu/lab1/Hym...Mutillid_1.jpg

I would get fired if I worked there........lol

[So-CalVX]

looks like a freaky wingless wasp! Scary! I too would be fired.

[nfpgasmask]

Are these native to FLA or are these some sort of invasive species?

I never saw one of those when I lived down there...

Bart

[Joe Isuzu]

Hey Chopper, did it make a strange scratching or squeaking sound? I had these near our pool in NC growing up. They were bigger than normal ants and stood out b/c of their colouring. They only stung me once and then I knew I needed to save them from drowning by using a stick or the net. They always made a squeaking sound when they were stinging the stick.

[Hotsauce]

Most brightly colored insects are poisonous.

John C.

[Joe_Black]

Well, I have to admit to having attempted to stomp a few from time to time. They have a habit of showing up usually when I'm working under one of my Caterpillars, and they're pretty resilient to being whacked with a 3/4" wrench. They don't like PB Blaster much either, but pop pretty quick when encountering oxy-acetylene.

Typically I'm a live-n-let-live kinda guy, except when I'm in a confined space!

[Chopper]

according to what's that bug, they do squeak, and in one form or another they are native all over....mexico and cali, to n.c. and fla.

[nfpgasmask]

Huh, looks like these are actually wasps, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_ant

Bart

[Chopper]

Yeah, it was waspy....but beautiful.

[So-CalVX]

uh huh... I called it. oh yeah