The World’s Most Painful Insect Sting

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The Sting Pain Index

Have you ever wondered which insect has the world’s most painful sting? Could it be the ant that lives in rainforest canopies, the bee that protects its honey, or the wasp that paralyzes tarantulas? Let’s find out!

Insect venoms contain a range of compounds that are designed to cause unpleasant sensations and even disrupt bodily functions. Entomologist Justin O. Schmidt created a sting pain index that ranks the pain caused by around 100 insect stings.

The Western Honeybee’s Sting

Out of our three contenders, one stands out as the most painful. First, let’s consider the Western honeybee’s sting. According to Schmidt, it feels like “a flaming match head has landed on your arm and is quenched first with lye and then sulfuric acid.” This pain is caused by venom that is packed with a pain-causing peptide called “melittin” and enzymes that soften flesh and help disperse the venom. These enzymes can also cause allergic reactions and even lead to fluid buildup in the lungs. Worker honeybees have barbed stingers that can become stuck in their victims, which means they usually can’t sting without leaving part of their bodies behind and ultimately dying. Since only the queen bee has the ability to reproduce, a worker bee’s self-sacrifice helps ensure that the colony, and their genes, will survive. Before they die, they release an alarm pheromone that activates a mass attack and often targets vulnerable areas on their victim’s body.

The Tarantula Hawk Wasp’s Sting

According to Schmidt, the tarantula hawk wasp’s sting is “blinding, fierce, shockingly electric… A bolt out of the heavens. Lie down and scream.” The sensation might only last five minutes for humans, but it leaves tarantulas, the wasp’s preferred target, permanently paralyzed. After stinging the tarantula and aiming for a crucial bundle of nerves, the wasp lays an egg on the immobilized spider. Once the egg hatches, the wasp’s larva spends its early days feeding on the tarantula’s body, consuming it alive. Aside from paralyzing the tarantula, the wasp’s sting doesn’t seem to cause any further harm. This helps preserve the spider as fresh food for the wasp’s offspring.

The Bullet Ant’s Sting

The bullet ant, which lives in rainforests, has a sting that causes “pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like walking over a flaming bed of charcoal with a 3-inch nail embedded in your heel,” according to Schmidt. This pain can last for more than 12 hours. It is caused by a neurotoxic peptide called poneratoxin that our bodies struggle to break down. In addition to the pain, poneratoxin can also cause trembling, cold sweats, nausea, vomiting, and abnormal heartbeat. The bullet ant is actually the insect with the most painful sting. It is thought that they may have evolved such an excruciating defense because they forage in rainforest canopies where they are vulnerable to predators looking for a protein-rich meal. They can’t simply jump or fly away, so perhaps they are better off with this reliable, if off-putting, weapon.

Final Thoughts

The tarantula hawk wasp’s formidable sting is the second most painful on Schmidt’s scale. It is likely the reason this wasp has no known predators. Honeybee stings rank in the middle of the pain scale. However, when many bees sting at the same time, what might have been manageable at first can become dangerous. In fact, insect stings have helped enable the evolution of complex colonies that would otherwise be an easy target for predators. Some stinging insects are more aggressive than others, but most of the time, they only sting when provoked.

So there you have it, the bullet ant takes the top spot for the most painful insect sting, followed by the tarantula hawk wasp, and the honeybee in the middle. While insect stings can be unpleasant and even dangerous, it’s important to remember that most insects only sting as a defense mechanism when they feel threatened. So it’s best to leave them alone and avoid getting stung.