Despite its name, the Velvet Ant isn't an ant at all! It is a type of wasp. Ants have bent antennae and a twice-constricted waist, unlike velvet ants.
This family of wasp is mostly solitary instead of swarming and only males have wings. Females can deliver a painful sting, however, and should not be trifled with.
Larvae are parasitic, usually hatching from their eggs in the nests of other bees or wasps. They devour their neighbors.