Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:52:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jason Strickland
Subject: “cow killer ants”
These are wingless wasp and they do indeed sting. They have a very powerful venom and the pain factor gets worse instead of better. Last time I was stung by one I stepped on it barefoot and my leg was useless for about 4 hrs. They are solitary as far as I know but it isn’t unusual to see several around. They have one of the toughest exoskeletons I have ever encountered. This is what Wiki had to say about it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutillidae