The entomologist experienced the most painful insect bites and compiled a pain scale
At the beginning of his career, aspiring entomologist Justin Schmidt and his zoologist wife returned from a trip across the country to the University of Georgia. They collected a collection of various types of reaper ants, which Justin describes in his book as "nasty stinging insects whose chemical composition of venom is unknown." And to finish his dissertation, Justin needed to analyze a huge number of creatures and their bites.
After the couple managed to collect enough insects, they had to compare their poisons, analyzing the toxic effects and pain from the bite. This is how the "Schmidt Pain Rating for Stinging Insects" appeared. The rating is a 4-point system, the starting point of which is a well-known honey bee (its bite is 2 points). One or another level of bite is assigned depending on its soreness compared to the bee.
Over the years, Schmidt has been adding new insect species to his list. He was bitten more than 1000 times by at least 83 different species of insects.
We have selected examples that best illustrate the full range of pain.
Red Fire Ant
Scientific name: Solenopsis Invicta.
Habitat region: South America.
Description: "Sharp, sudden, slightly alarming pain. It's like walking on a fleecy carpet and then reaching for the light switch."
Pain level: 1.
Cicada Hunters
Scientific name: Sphecius Grandis.
Habitat region: North America.
Description: "The pain comes immediately. Like poison oak, the more you rub, the worse it gets."
Pain level: 1.5.
Honey Bee
Scientific name: Apis mellifera.
Habitat region: Africa and Europe.
Description: "Burning, corrosive pain, but you can handle it. It's as if a flaming match head has fallen on your hand and is being extinguished first with alkali and then with sulfuric acid."
Pain level: 2.
The Pennsylvania Wasp
Scientific name: Vespula pensylvanica.
Habitat region: North America.
Description: "Hot and burning, almost rough. Imagine comedian William Claude Fields putting out cigars on your tongue."
Pain level: 2.
Black Wasp-Polybia
Scientific name: Polybia simillima.
Habitat region: Central America.
Description: "The Satanic ritual went wrong somehow. The gas lamp in the old church explodes right in your face when you try to light it up."
Pain level: 2.5.
Female velvet ants are wingless wasps, whose size varies from small, like the 6-millimeter Dasymutilla asteria (pictured), to huge, almost 25-millimeter - the larger they are, the more painful they sting.
Velvet ant (in fact - wasp)
Scientific name: Dasymutilla klugii.
Habitat region: North America.
Description: "Explosive and long-lasting pain, you will not be able to restrain a mad scream. It's like hot oil from a deep fryer is spreading all over your hand."
Pain level: 3.
The Florida Reaper Ant
Scientific name: Pogonomyrmex badius.
Habitat region: North America.
Description: "The pain is sharp and merciless. It's like someone using an electric drill is trying to dig out your ingrown toenail."
Pain level: 3.
Wasp - Tarantula fighter
Scientific name: Pepsis spp.
Habitat region: North, Central and South America.
Description: "Blinding-violent electric shock. It's like a working hair dryer has just fallen into your bathtub."
Pain level: 4.
Ant-bullet
Scientific name: Paraponera clavata.
Habitat region: Central and South America.
Description: "The purest intense pain, like walking on hot coals with a 3-inch nail in the heel."
Pain level: 4.
Armadillo Wasp
Scientific name: Synoeca septentrionalis.
Habitat region: Central and South America.
Description: "Torture. You are chained in the flow of an active volcano. Why did I start this list?".
Pain level: 4.