# A pain connoisseur's guide to insect stings
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 12, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086 "2008-05-12T21:43:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/1 "2008-05-12T21:43:07Z")
How bad was that sting? Now you know! [Schmidt Sting Pain Index](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmidt_Sting_Pain_Index)
> [@](#):
>
> Subsequently, Schmidt has refined his scale, culminating in a paper published in 1990 which classifies the stings of 78 species and 41 genera of Hymenoptera. Notably, Schmidt described some of the experiences in vivid and colorful detail:
>
> 1.0 Sweat bee: Light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm.
> 1.2 Fire ant: Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet & reaching for the light switch.
> 1.8 Bullhorn acacia ant: A rare, piercing, elevated sort of pain. Someone has fired a staple into your cheek.
> 2.0 Bald-faced hornet: Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door.
> 2.0 Yellowjacket: Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W. C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.
> 2.x Honey bee and European hornet: Like a matchhead that flips off and burns on your skin.
> 3.0 Red harvester ant: Bold and unrelenting. Somebody is using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail.
> 3.0 Paper wasp: Caustic & burning. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut.
> 4.0 Pepsis wasp: Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair drier has been dropped into your bubble bath.
> 4.0+ Bullet ant: Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch rusty nail in your heel.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/2 "2008-05-12T22:04:31Z")
[This paper is interesting.](http://www.entsoc.org/pubs/periodicals/ae/ae-2003/summer/Buzzwords.pdf) Apparently the chemistry of a bee’s venom includes components that enhance memory so you will _remember_ the sting.
> [@](#):
>
> Bees do much the same thing but they up the ante—they target potassium channels with a small polypeptide called apamin. Several studies have shown that apamin, by selectively inhibiting calcium-activated potassium channels, can enhance learning, memory, and cognition and reverse amnesia (Ikonen and Riekkinen 1999). So not only do the stings cause pain; the honey bee (like some kind of sadistic ex-boyfriend or girlfriend who breaks up with you in order to marry your best friend) ensures that the individual stung will remember the pain for a long time to come.
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### Author:  [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2008, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/3 "2008-05-12T22:32:28Z")
And people wonder why I’m deathly afraid of being stung. Having never had the experience, I wish very much to avoid the sensation.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/4 "2008-05-12T23:41:42Z")
I got stung for the first time in many, many years last year, when I reached into my skimmer to take out a pile of leaves. There must have been a honey bee in the pile, and I got stung on the web between two fingers. It hurt, but the pain was over in less then a minute, leaving a welt that itched like mad for quite a while.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/5 "2008-05-13T00:18:31Z")
On my personal scale, yellowjackets score much higher than honeybees. I wonder how a bullet ant compares to a stingray?
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### Author:  [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/6 "2008-05-13T00:33:57Z")
Interestingly, I’ve been stung by several of the species named, the most intense being the paper wasp. That was NOTHING compared to being nailed in the bottom of the foot by a scorpion though. It was immediate, incredibly intense, and lasted nearly twelve hours of full force throbbing pain. I imagine that must be near the sting of the legendary bullet ant then.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/7 "2008-05-13T00:37:19Z")
[QUOTE=astro]
[This paper is interesting.](http://www.entsoc.org/pubs/periodicals/ae/ae-2003/summer/Buzzwords.pdf) Apparently the chemistry of a bee’s venom includes components that enhance memory so you will _remember_ the sting.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t doubt it a bit. I’m pretty sure I can remember every time I’ve been stung. The first one’s the richest memory, though, probably because the site of the sting was my temple. Quick, convenient access to da brain, don’t ya know.
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### Author:  [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/8 "2008-05-13T01:43:33Z")
[QUOTE=Acid Lamp]
Interestingly, I’ve been stung by several of the species named, the most intense being the paper wasp. That was NOTHING compared to being nailed in the bottom of the foot by a scorpion though. It was immediate, incredibly intense, and lasted nearly twelve hours of full force throbbing pain. I imagine that must be near the sting of the legendary bullet ant then.
[/QUOTE]
I’ve heard tarantula hawks (also a wasp) have really nasty stings. Good thing they have those bright wings, makes them easy to avoid when you see them. Better safe than sorry.
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/9 "2008-05-13T02:00:05Z")
I’ve been stung by honey bees and hornets. Both were pretty painful, but i don’t think they were as bad as the Australian [bulldog ant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulldog_ant).
When i was growing up, our house backed onto bushland, and we used to go walking a lot. Disturbing a nest of those little fuckers could end up a painful experience.
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/10 "2008-05-13T02:57:51Z")
I’ve had my share of stings/bites…
The **MacTech** Sting/Bite Pain Index;
0.1 Mosquito; faint, needle-prick sensation, easily and satisfyingly stopped with a swat
0.4 Deerfly; bright, searing pain, like your skin is being ripped open\*
0.7 Horsefly; Deep, drilling pain, the tearing\* sensation of the horsefly, with a jackhammer drill thrown in for good measure
0.9 [Black Fly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Fly#References); Like getting poked with a red-hot needle, how can such a tiny insect have such a painful bite
1.0 Honeybee; an acidic burning sensation that hits quickly and fades
2.0 Brown Wasp; a bright burning sensation, usually multiple stings
2.2 [Yellow Orbweaver Garden Spider](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_garden_spider); momentary burning at the bite site, the bitten limb (arm, for example) then feels like it’s “vibrating” for the next few hours, fading to nothing
3.0 Yellowjacket; Who dipped my hand in gasoline and lit it?, intense, burning pain and swelling at the sting site
Honeybees are generally docile to me, we get along just fine, and in fact, I can pet them without getting stung
Brown and yellowjacket Wasps are pure, unadulterated evil, and have a short temper, they will sting without provocation, when it comes to these wasps, my rule is take no prisoners, kill on sight, however, Mud Dauber wasps are generally docile and will not sting unless provoked, I can be sitting down at our pond, fishing in the summer, and the Mud Daubers are flying around me, landing next to me, sometimes landing on my fishing pole, totally ignoring me, I have no problem with Mud Daubers, they’re a “Live and let Live” kind of wasp
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/11 "2008-05-13T03:17:44Z")
My three least favorite biting insects are the Black Fly, the Deerfly, and the Horsefly
The Black Fly has the same mouthparts as the deerflies and horseflies, they actually _tear the skin apart_ and lap up the blood, so they’re obviously going to be more painful than a mosquito bite
The Wiki on the [Deerfly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deerfly)
Here’s the Wiki on the [Horsefly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsefly), it’s feeding style is particularly novel…
[QUOTE=Wiki]
The bite from a larger specimen is extremely painful, especially considering the light, agile, and airborne nature of the fly. Unlike insects which surreptitiously puncture the skin with needle-like organs, horse flies have mandibles like tiny serrated scimitars, which they use to rip and/or slice flesh apart. This causes the blood to seep out as the horsefly licks it up. They may even carve a chunk completely out of the victim, to be digested at its leisure.
The horsefly’s modus operandi is less secretive than that of its mosquito counterparts, although it still aims to escape before pain signals reach their mark’s sphere of awareness. Moreover, the pain of a horsefly bite may mean that the victim is more concerned with assessing and repairing the wound, than finding and swatting the interloper.
[/quote]
And just to make matters worse, there’s just one, bigger, biting fly we have to deal with, what we refer to around here in New England as the “Moose Fly”, take an adult horsefly, and DOUBLE it’s size, yes, it’s basically a Horsefly on steroids, thankfully, it doesn’t seem to feed on humans, or even horses, like it’s name says, it feeds on moose, good thing too, as a small group of mooseflies, if they put their tiny two-volt brains together, could easily carry off small household pets and infants…
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/12 "2008-05-13T05:32:29Z")
I once poked my finger at a strange bug I saw in amongst some flowers. It leisurely reached out with it’s proboscis and give my the single most painful sting in my memory. I’m pretty sure it was a [wheel bug](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_bug), and my finger was numb for the rest of the day.
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### Author:  [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/13 "2008-05-13T10:45:13Z")
This thread is making me itchy and paranoid.
I’ve only been stung by mosquitos and fire ants. Fire ant bites burn for awhile, and then develop that revolting pustule at the site. Like a venom zit. Gross.
I have a debilitating phobia about wasps and hornets (bees, not so much, because they are generally kinda slow-moving and not aggressive) that means I will run away screaming at the sight of one.
People say “Ignore them and they’ll ignore you” but I don’t have any faith in this peace-keeping mantra. I’ve jumped off a boat before to escape them. (A pontoon boat, granted, and I was already in my bathingsuit, but tell that to my astonished friends when I just leaped over the side screaming.)
I am 29 years old. I assume that before I die, unless I die pretty soon, I’m gonna end up getting stung by a wasp or a hornet.
It will be a dark day.
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### Author:  [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/14 "2008-05-13T17:43:23Z")
Ah, I do not miss mosquitos, horseflies and deerflies. And blackflies, good Lord, I don’t know how people can live in Maine in the summer.
They may exist here is southern CA, but they don’t come around places that I frequent.
I’ve chalked up one honey bee, one yellow jacket (completely unprovoked), and one paper wasp (that was the worst.) I’ve also gotten on the wrong side of a few fire ants.
**MacTech** how did you manage to get bitten by the spider?
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/15 "2008-05-13T17:54:33Z")
[QUOTE=cher3]
**MacTech** how did you manage to get bitten by the spider?
[/QUOTE]
I was trying to gain super powers 😉
seriously though, I was walking through the high grass in our field, wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, and stumbled through her web, the bite was purely in self defense, I simply shook her off (harder than I thought, as orbweaver fangs articulate sideways, like pliers), she scuttled off, unhurt, and moments later, my arm was “vibrating” (muscle spasms from the spider’s neurotoxin)
I was about 14 years old, I still remember that bite to this day
I hold no ill will to Garden Spiders, and if I find any, I will actually feed them, swat a horsefly and toss it in the web
and sadly, I did not gain any superpowers, but the experience was memorable nonetheless
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### Author:  [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pain-connoisseurs-guide-to-insect-stings/449086/16 "2008-05-14T06:04:27Z")
[The South American Tough Guy Academy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WQ6rFKhyn0)