I spotted a strange bug in my driveway this evening – I killed it, but then began studying it. Frankly speaking, this thing looks like an ant, only twenty times the size of any household ant that I have ever seen. Its fluorescent orange & black coloration is stunning, and I wanted to know if you have any information about such a thing. Below is a link to two pictures of the bug – The broader picture gives you a sense of scale (with a box-cutter blade next to it); and the close up shot will help you to see the details of the insect better [The photos are too large to upload - the link below is the directory that contains both pics... ]:

Picasa Web Albums - werner - superbug (http://picasaweb.google.com/Micaiahsr/Superbug)

Thanks in advance...

Sort of looks like a fuzzy hornet or wasp

My computer won't let me see the close-up but from the other pic... I can't think of a bee or wasp that color. Could you e-mail the close-up pic to me? Maybe I can get a look at it that way.

I have no idea... but why must everyone kill the bugs they are here on this earth for a purpose.

WEll... I reckon it has to be some kind of bee or something like that, due to it's colour, did it make any noise?

Did you sort of flatten it, if so then the shape we see on the picture is incorrect.

Never seen an insect like it before though!!

That is a velvet ant. It is in the order Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), family Mutilidae - velvet ants. (Ants are in the family Formicidae.)
Velvet ant females are wingless. Males have wings. It is not really an ant. Velvet ants don't create colonies. The species is parasitic on other wasps and insects. Their sting is apparently very painful, hence its other common name of "cow killer"
They are a fascinating insect. Read their story on Wikipedia Mutillidae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutilidae)