It's probably safe to say that most of us want to avoid getting stung by a bee or bitten by a fire ant. The annoying itch of a mosquito bite is even too much for most of us to handle. For one person, however, getting painful insect stings is a top responsibility in his job description. Justin O. Schmidt, PhD, an entomologist at the Southwest Biological Institute in Arizona, has been bitten and stung nearly a thousand times by a wide variety of painful creatures—voluntarily. Why, you ask? Well, to find out the most painful insect sting one can experience of course.
The scientist created the eponymous Schmidt Sting Pain Index, in which he rated the stings of 78 species on a scale of one to four, with four being the absolute worst. Read on to discover a sample of the stingers at all pain levels, accompanied by Schmidt's colorful, often cheeky, descriptions of how each one felt, including the most painful one of all, according to the U.K.'s Natural History Museum.
Read the original article on Best Life.
15 | Red Fire Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 1
Schmidt's description of the sting: "Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet and reaching for the light switch."
14 | Tropical Fire Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 1
Schmidt's description of the sting: "You should have learned, but the carpet is the same, and when you again reach for the light switch, the shock mocks you."
13 | Southern Fire Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 1
Schmidt's description of the sting: "It happens on the third day, as you reach for the light switch, and you're wondering when you will ever learn."
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12 | Suturing Army Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 1.5
Schmidt's description of the sting: "A cut on your elbow, stitched with a rusty needle."
11 | Paper Wasp
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 1.5
Schmidt's description of the sting: "Burning, throbbing and lonely. A single drop of superheated frying oil landed on your arm."
10 | Bulldog Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 1.5
Schmidt's description of the sting: "Intense, ripping, and sharp. The dog's tooth found its mark."
9 | Giant Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 1.5
Schmidt's description of the sting: "A pulsing sting with some flavor. You stepped into a salt bath with an open wound."
8 | Large Tropical Black Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 2
Schmidt's description of the sting: "Exquisitely sharp and expertly clean. Broadway's favorite barber selects his next victim."
7 | Western Yellow Jacket
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 2
Schmidt's description of the sting: "Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W.C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue."
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6 | Western Honey Bee
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 2
Schmidt's description of the sting: "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."
5 | Trap-jaw Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 2.5
Schmidt's description of the sting: "Instantaneous and excruciating. A rat trap snaps your index fingernail."
4 | Maricopa Harvester Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 3
Schmidt's description of the sting: "After eight unrelenting hours of drilling into that ingrown toenail, you find the drill is wedged in the toe."
3 | Warrior Wasp
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 4
Schmidt's description of the sting: "Torture. You are chained in the flow of an active volcano. Why did I start this list?"
2 | Tarantula Hawk Wasp
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 4
Schmidt's description of the sting: "Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair dryer has just been dropped in your bubble bath."
1 | Bullet Ant
ShutterstockSting pain index level: 4
Schmidt's description of the sting: "Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel."
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