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Velvety Tree Ants: ID, the Smell & Velvet-Ant Confusion
Velvety tree ants nest in trees and wood and smell when crushed. Here is how to identify them, how they differ from velvet ants, and how to get rid of them.
Velvety tree ants are a Western native ant — dark head, reddish-orange midsection, and a velvety black abdomen — that nest in trees, stumps, and sometimes the structural wood of a home. Like odorous house ants, they give off a strong, unpleasant smell when crushed, and they are a common late-summer invader in foothill and tree-heavy California neighborhoods.
These are not the same thing. A “velvet ant” (also called a cow killer) is actually a wingless wasp with a severe sting — a completely different insect. A velvety tree ant is a true ant that bites and can release formic acid but has no potent sting.
A velvety tree ant — dark head, reddish thorax, velvety black abdomen — on weathered wood.
How to identify a velvety tree ant
They are roughly 1/8 to 1/4 inch, with a distinctive tricolor look: a black or dark head, a reddish-to-orange thorax, and a dark, finely-haired (velvety) abdomen. The fastest field clue is the smell — crush one and it produces a sharp, rotten odor, similar to the odorous house ant but coming from a much larger, tree-nesting ant.
Where they nest
Velvety tree ants nest in dead, wet, or decaying wood — hollow trees, old stumps, fence posts — and they will move into the damp or damaged structural wood of a house, around eaves, decks, and leaks. Because they excavate wood to nest, their damage can look like a carpenter ant problem, and the two are sometimes confused.
Do velvety tree ants bite or sting?
They will bite if handled and can spray formic acid from the bite site, which stings briefly — but they do not have a true venomous sting like a fire ant or a velvet-ant wasp. The bigger issue is usually the nuisance of a trail indoors and the wood they nest in.
How to get rid of velvety tree ants
1. Find the nest. Follow trails back to a tree, stump, or section of structural wood — that is what has to be treated.
2. Cut the bridges. Trim tree limbs and shrubs touching the house so they cannot trail in overhead.
3. Treat the nest and fix the wood. Treat the nesting site directly and address the moisture or wood decay that attracted them.
When to call a pro
Because the nest is often in a tree or inside structural wood, velvety tree ants are hard to reach with store-bought products. Our ant control service locates the nest and treats it, and checks for the moisture and wood issues that drew them in.
See our ant control process →Velvety tree ant FAQ
Do velvety tree ants sting?
Not with a true sting. They bite and can release formic acid that stings briefly, but they do not have the venomous sting of a fire ant or the wingless “velvet ant” wasp.
How do you get rid of velvety tree ants?
Locate the nest (a tree, stump, or structural wood), trim branches touching the house, treat the nest directly, and fix the moisture or wood decay that attracted them. Store products rarely reach the nest.
Are velvety tree ants the same as velvet ants?
No. A velvet ant is a wingless wasp (the “cow killer”) with a severe sting. A velvety tree ant is a true ant that bites but has no potent sting — completely different insects.
Do velvety tree ants damage wood?
They excavate dead, wet, or decaying wood to nest and can move into damp structural wood, so their damage can resemble carpenter ants. They target wood that already has a moisture problem.
Smelly ants trailing from a tree or eave? Let’s find the nest.
Call (559) 472-8200 or request a no-cost inspection — we locate tree and structural nests and treat the source.