Venom Wiki
Cartoon of Large velvet ant
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Large velvet ant

Mutilla europaea
Bees, wasps & hornets๐Ÿ“Œ Stings
Danger to people: PainfulIt can really hurt, but it is almost never serious.

Large velvet ant belongs to the group: Bees, wasps & hornets. It lives in: Europe, Asia.2

Lives in
Europe, Asia2
Length
1.4 cm (0.6 in)2
typical adult size
Top speed
about 0.5 km/h (0.31 mph)
On land, rough guess

Venom power

Stings

Venom comes out through a stinger.

How dangerous is it to people?

Danger to people: PainfulIt can really hurt, but it is almost never serious.

๐Ÿš‘ If it bites or stings

  • Scrape out a bee sting and cool the spot.
  • If the person has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, or feels faint, it is an allergic emergency: call your emergency number and use their adrenaline pen if they have one.

Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics

โ›‘๏ธ Stay safe

  • Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
  • Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
  • If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.

It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe

How big is it?

How long is it?

Large velvet ant about 1.4 cm long (0.6 in)๐ŸšA grain of rice about 7 mm (0.3 in)๐Ÿ“ŽA paper clip about 3 cm (1.2 in)๐ŸŒA banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
small enough to sit on your fingernail

How big is Large velvet ant compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

For venom experts

Scientific name
Mutilla europaea
Group
Bees, wasps & hornets
Family
Mutillidae1
Order
Hymenoptera
Continents
Europe, Asia
Danger to people
2 / 5: Painful2

Where the facts come from

  1. Mutilla europaea (iNaturalist): names and classification.
  2. Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are animal fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@venomwiki.app and we will fix it.

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More from the same group: Bees, wasps & hornets

Also lives in: Europe

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