Observations by jakepsenka

looks like you've got a velvet ant in this one, most likely a female,
as the males typically possess wings. They are in the Mutillidae family
(superfamily Scolioidea) of wasps, with most of the species encountered in
our state belonging to the Dasymutilla genus. Color varies on these little
ladies; black with red, yellow, or orange, and some species, pure white.
Dr. C. E. Mickel, who was retired from the Univ. of Minnesota and a resident
of Tucson in the 1980s, was the taxonomic go-to guy for this group. He was
involved at the time with the U of A's insect collection.

They are parasitic upon other Hymenoptera, a few beetles and flies, and upon
ground-nesting bees and wasps, seeking their burrows and laying their eggs
upon the host pupae. When female velvet ants are disturbed, the produce a
squeaking nose by rubbing a file against a scraper on the second and third
abdominal segments. Males are also vocal, but their sound is more of a honk
than a squeak and is produced using the thorax and flight musculature.

Now, the charm in all this occurs when boy meets girl. He approaches her
and honks two to four times a second. If she is receptive, she squeaks a
response and they get it on. During copulation, male and female alternately
squeak and honk. If she isn't turned on by his advances, she produces a
very rapid series of squeaks that distinctly resemble human giggling in
pitch and cadence. The intimate details of acoustical seduction in velvet
ants were worked out by Dr. Hayward Spangler of the Carl Hayden Bee Research
Lab in Tucson, and Dr. Don Manley, a former grad student in U of A's Dept.
of Entomology.

Make sure your kids understand not to handle these guys. The female
typically gives an acoustical warning (the squeak sound) when disturbed and
their stings are quiet painful. I've seen the stinger and it is at least as
long as the abdominal segment. Most people get nailed when they try to pick
up the "pretty" little bug or step on it with bare feet."