Ever wanted to know what a bullet ant sting feels like, without putting yourself through the pain? Wondering what’s worse, the sting of a fire ant or warrior wasp? You’ve come to the right place.
Entomologist Justin Schmidt recorded his own experience of venomous stings, to rate and describe the pain caused by the venom of insects. Explore part of Schmidt’s pain index below.
Schmidt’s pain scale runs from one to four, with four being the most painful.
“Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet and reaching for the light switch.”
“You should have learned, but the carpet is the same, and when you again reach for the light switch, the shock mocks you.”
“It happens on the third day, as you reach for the light switch, and you’re wondering when you will ever learn.”
“A cut on your elbow, stitched with a rusty needle.”
“Burning, throbbing and lonely. A single drop of superheated frying oil landed on your arm.”
“Intense, ripping and sharp. The dog's tooth found its mark.”
“A pulsing sting with some flavour. You stepped into a salt bath with an open wound.”
“Instantaneous, like the surprise of being stabbed. Is this what shrapnel feels like?”
“Exquisitely sharp and expertly clean. Broadway’s favourite barber selects his next victim.”
“Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine WC Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.”
“Burning, corrosive, but you can handle it. A flaming match head lands on your arm and is quenched with lye and then with sulphuric acid.”
“Instantaneous and excruciating. A rat trap snaps your index fingernail.”
“Torture. You are chained in the flow of an active volcano. Why did I start this list?”
“Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel.”
“Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair dryer has just been dropped into your bubble bath.”
Just how weird can the natural world be?
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