The 'sting-o-meter' that tells you which insects cause most pain (by researcher who's been stung

by just about everything)

Justin Schmidt created a pain scale from zero to four to rank insect stings Stings that rate zero cause no pain, those that rate four are the worst He has been stung by 150 different bugs but says the worst are warrior wasps, tarantula hawks, and bullet ants
By Emma Innes PUBLISHED: 16:31 GMT, 22 July 2013 | UPDATED: 17:30 GMT, 22 July 2013

146 shares 99 View comments

Most of us get stung by an insect occasionally and grumble about it for a couple of minutes before forgetting about it. Not so for one researcher from Arizona. Justin Schmidt, from the Southwestern Biological Institute, has been stung so many times that he decided to create a pain scale to rate the insects stings.

Justin Schmidt has been stung so many times he decided to create a pain scale to rate insects' stings. He says that the most painful is a bullet ant (pictured) which he says 'makes you want to lay down and die'

Mr Schmidts scale ranges from zero to four, with a one being a minor reaction, and four being the worst pain you can imagine. Mr Schmidt explained to Weather.com what a one on the scale would be.

HOW DO THE STINGS RANK?

Fire Ant - one (pain lasts two to four minutes) Honeybee - two (pain lasts up to ten minutes) Bumblebee - two (pain for up to five minutes) German Yellowjacket - two (pain lasts four to ten minutes) Velvet Ant - three (pain for up to 30 minutes) Harvester Ant - three (pain for one to eight hours) Paper Wasp - three (pain for five to 15 minutes) Warrior Wasp - four (pain for up to two hours) Tarantula Hawk - four (pain for three minutes) Bullet Ant - four (pain for 12 to 24 hours) He said it would cause a sharp pain but would not be enough to make you drop your drink. However, he goes on to explain how he would describe a four this would be a creature such as a tarantula

hawk, which he says feels like being hit by 20,000 volts. Not only would it make you drop your drink, it would make you throw it across the room, he says. He told Weather.com that a bullet ant has the most painful sting he has encountered. He said: 'They just make you want to lay down and die. You are just screaming in pain and agony.' In contrast, he said that the sting of a fire ant is much less painful. He said: 'They have this kind of sharp, piercing sting. 'Your immediate reaction is "brush those things off". That's all its going to do to you.'

Mr Schmidt ranks the bug's stings from zero to four with four being the worst pain imaginable. He rated the sting of the tarantula hawk (pictured) a four

Mr Schmidt believes he has been stung by 150 different bugs. He rates the sting of the fire ant (pictured) a one and says the pain lasts between two and four minutes

According to Mr Schmidts scale, a fire ant has one of the least painful stings a one on his scale honeybees and bumblebees stings score a two, and the stings of warrior wasps, bullet ants, and tarantula hawks score four. He claims to have been stung by about 150 different insects while travelling the world but says it doesn't worry him, as none of the insects bites have a lasting impact.

Mr Schmidt says that the pain from a honeybee (pictured) sting ranks at two on his scale and lasts for up to ten minutes

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Comments (99)
Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all Finding a table leg using only your pinky toe is a "Dancing in the Dark 4". - Mike , Marshall, 23/7/2013 17:45 Click to rate Report abuse Is this an annual list or are we just extremely lazy? Because this has got to be the fourth time I've read this article. - Stu Pitt , Pastrami-on-Rye, Togo, 23/7/2013 16:47 Click to rate Report abuse Well it's nice that someone did it, thanks! - furion , portland, United States, 23/7/2013 16:09 Click to rate Report abuse Tarantula Hawk, Paper Wasp, Harvester Ant, Velvet Ant, Yellow Jacket, Bumblebee, Honey Bee, and Fire Ant. You can be stung by them all in Texas. But these are just a bit of pain, what you don't want to have happen is to be bitten by a Brown Recluse. The amount of damage those little spiders can do will give you nightmares. - Completely Average , Somewhere, United States, 23/7/2013 15:47 Rating 3 Rating 6 Rating 9

Click to rate Report abuse

Rating 6

ANTS! So many ants! - LaurenNikirk , Cincinnati, United States, 23/7/2013 14:56 Click to rate Report abuse fully ripping off a toe nail in the dark... - bob , China, China, 23/7/2013 13:14 Click to rate Report abuse Standing on a plug whilst wandering to the bathroom in the dark -----> 5 - Tom1990 , Wigan, United Kingdom, 23/7/2013 13:09 Click to rate Report abuse Lego - 10 - Lykan007 , Midrand, South Africa, 23/7/2013 12:54 Click to rate Report abuse He should try getting stung by a Blandford Fly. Those things are amazingly small compared to the agony it puts the victim through - Cromwell , London, United Kingdom, 23/7/2013 12:28 Click to rate Report abuse Stepping on Lego=10 - bagmonster , brighton, 23/7/2013 12:01 Click to rate Report abuse Share this comment The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Rating 24 Rating 1 Rating 10 Rating 10 Rating 9 Rating 1

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