Entomologist Justin Schmidt who has been stung by more than a thousand times by 150 different species – mainly accidentally, but occasionally on purpose. He invented the Schmidt pain index which he ranks the pain of insect stings from one to four with four being the highest. At the top of the list the most painful are the Bullet ant found in the South American rain forest and the Tarantula hawk wasp found in south west US. Most people are very capable to avoid the bullet ant but Dr Schmidt got close enough to be stung by this vicious ant.
Business insider Australia reports Steven Backshall has also been stung by a bullet ant and describes that the pain is throughout your whole body. You start shaking. You start sweating. It’s completely systemic. It goes through your whole body and it really does effect your nervous system. Your heart rate goes up. And if you have quite a few of them, you will be passing in and out of consciousness. There will be nothing in your world apart from pain for at least three or four hours. Although incredibly painful it is not deadly and has no lasting effects after 24 hours.
While only been bitten once researcher Dr. Corrie Moreau from the field museum of natural history in Chicago is interested in what makes it so painful and if the neurotoxin could have any medical benefits, she dissects out the venom glands to study the venom . Scientists think the venom could be used as a natural insecticide. Click here to read the full article.
