The insect known as velvet ant is indeed a solitary wasp and not an ant.

The female may be reasonably large at 1/2 - 3/4 inch and have bright red, yellow or orange colored hair patches. They usually have no wings and hunt in the day or at dusk.

The male, however, is often small, plain brown and equiped with wings. They are strong flyers and come to lights at night.

The result is that nearly half the named species are represented by only one sex. If you ever find a mating pair, catch them and take them to the local college so they can be given to an expert in the field.