It may have been the infamous velvet ant — otherwise (fittingly) known as “cow killer” for the painful ... visually striking, often red and black “stripes,” that act as a visual defense ...

striped yellow jackets we know. "I had never seen this type of insect before or one like it since. The insect itself was about 1/2 to 3/4 inches long, bright red and black," Breuer said.