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How to Get Rid of Velvet Ants

The velvet ant, or cow ant, is actually a wasp that looks like an ant. Velvet ant females are wingless and lay their eggs in the nests of ground-dwelling bees and wasps. When the eggs hatch they feed on the host insects. Velvet ants live most of their lives in solitude, but can sometimes congregate and become a problem especially if they wander into your home or on your lawn. Velvet ants can deliver a very painful bite that can lead to swelling, itching and even anaphylactic shock in persons allergic to their sting.

Things You'll Need

Garden flags
Protective clothing
Permethrin insecticide dust
Wasp killer spray
Garden sprayer
Liquid permethrin insecticide
Caulk
Weatherstripping

Instructions

- 1
  Eliminate ground nesting wasps and bees on which velvet ant eggs feed. Find and mark any wasp or bee ground nests in your lawn with a garden flag during the day when they are the most active. Look for wasps or bees entering or exiting holes in the ground.
- 2
  Put on tight protective clothing to prevent stings. Locate the marked ground bee and wasp nests at night when the bees and wasps are least active. Pour a permethrin-based insecticidal dust in the entrance of each ground nest hole.
- 3
  Repeat the insecticidal treatment the next day if you continue to see wasp activity. Cover the wasp and bee ground nest holes with soil to prevent future nesting from the insects.
- 4
  Spray velvet ants that come inside your home directly with a commercial wasp killer. Use a garden sprayer to apply a liquid permethrin-based insecticide according to the directions around the perimeter of your home to keep velvet ants away.
- 5
  Prevent velvet ants from coming inside your home. Caulk cracks and crevices in your homes foundation and seal doors and windows with weatherstripping..

Insects & Science