What kind of ant is this?

Question

I have been seeing these red and black striped ants they are fairly large about the size of a bee. They also look furry. What kind are these? Are they dangerous?

Answer 1

It's a Red Velvet Ant, but it's not really an ant at all. It's a female wingless wasp that raids and eats the larva of other wasps. They especially like ground bee and wasp hives and velvet ant will lay her eggs on the larva and close off the hive. They are no more dangerous than an ordinary wasp, but they do have a powerful sting which is why they have been given the nick name cow killer.
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg344.html

Answer 2

Mutillidae or velvet ants

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_ant