Scientists are very obsessed with people and often experiment with themselves. Briton John Haldane broke his spine to examine the overload experienced by submariners. Russian scientist Ilya Mechnikov specially infected himself with typhus, and his colleague Nikolai Gamaleya drank a cocktail from cholera pathogens. American biologist Justin Schmidt experienced the bites of more than 150 species of insects, and compiled his own scale of stinging power. Referring to the data of the Schmidt scale, in our short review the most painfully stinging insects are presented by increasing level of pain.
11
Sweat bee
In Russian, such bees were given the name "sweat", as they are attracted to the aroma of salt in human sweat. The most numerous is the Halictidae family, with more than 3,500 species.
Often attack people, especially those who want to brush it off. A bee takes a wave with his hand as a sign of aggression towards himself. By the strength of a bite with an indicator of "1.0" stands at the lowest level.
Schmidt compared the bites of these bees with a small charge of electricity connected to each hair on the body.
10
Fire Ants
Especially painful bites in the species Solenopsis invicta (red fire ants). The bite is comparable to a burn, which is why this species of ants was called fiery.
Entomologist, putting 1.2 points, called the bite sudden and sharp, but not annoying. The pain occurs when injecting the poison of solenopsin, which causes redness at the site of the bite.
For people with weak immunity and an increased allegorical reaction, small insects can be deadly.
9
Acacia ants / Acacia ant
Ants living on trees and shrubs belong to the large genus Pseudomyrmex. They are found in Central and South America. Second Species Name Bullhorn acacia ant.
They prefer to settle on acacia, as its juice protects them from natural enemies. The bite, which was rated at 1.8 on the Schmidt scale, is rather painful.
Those who encounter ants say that the bite is punctate, accompanied by piercing pain. It feels like the body was pierced with a sharp needle or squeezed by two surfaces of the stapler.
8
Dolichovespula maculata
Because of its appearance, the annoying insect is also called the White-faced Hornet. White spots are pronounced on the head of the insect. It lives in the northern hemisphere of the planet. In America, they are called yellow-jackets, and there are 18 species in total on the planet.
Knocks its nests out of paper near a person’s home, and often aggressively defends them with its entire flock. The bite is painful, saturated, accompanied by burning and needle pain.
A wasp from the genus Dolichovespula firmly entrenched in a dozen painfully stinging insects with a score of 2.0 points.
7
Public Wasps / Vespinae
The large subfamily of the winged-winged animals differs in the complex social organization of the colonies and the bizarre architectural forms of their nests.
The bite is painful, burning, as if a cigarette was being extinguished on the body. Especially dangerous for people with allergies. According to the Schmidt scale, 2.0 points, but according to the sensations, who came across wasps in childhood, much more.
These insects have a rather aggressive disposition, and they are able to protect themselves and their home by plunging their sharp sting into the body several times.
6
Honey Bee / Apis mellifera
A useful insect that humans have used since ancient times to obtain honey and wax. But they bite quite painfully. The bite site immediately turns red and a small swelling is observed.
The strength of the bite is estimated at 2.0 points, and the pain is comparable to a severe burn. After a bite, the bee dies, as it leaves a sting in the body of the victim.
Many go for voluntary bites, so it is believed that this is an excellent remedy for radiculitis.
5
Hornet / Vespa
The largest representative of the genus Vespa mandarinia grows to 5.5 cm, and besides, all species are equipped with a sharp sting. Hornets have spread to all regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the exception of the Far North.
Sticking a sting, they release a poison that contains acetylcholine. Because of this, the bite of these flying insects is more painful than that of ordinary wasps. On a pain scale, it is rated at 2 points. May bite several times in a row at the time of one attack.
Poison, getting into the body, causes an allergy, and a person can die from anaphylactic shock if medical attention is not provided in a timely manner.
By the way, on our site most-beauty.ru there is an interesting article about the most poisonous and dangerous insects in Australia.
4
Red American Reaper Ant / Pogonomyrmex barbatus
The inhabitant of the forests of North America has one of the strongest poisons among all the insects on the planet. The Schmidt Sting Pain Index sting strength is 3 points.
Highly organized ants create colonies in which there are up to 12 thousand families. They are omnivores. And besides plant foods they are happy to hunt other insects, amphibians and mammals. They hunt in large groups, together attacking the victim.
The bite is doubly painful, because at first the reaper ant first bites with powerful jaws, and then introduces a sharp sting, which is hidden in the abdomen.
3
Paper wasp
The largest and most extensive subfamily in the family of social wasps, including 25 genera and more than 800 species. Some are characterized by primitive behavior, and some are highly organized.
Both sting painfully, and on the scale of their bite is estimated at 3.0 points. A sting is released, and a burning pain is felt with subsequent numbness at the site of the bite.
In primitives, a nest of 15–20 individuals is formed around one female. Sometimes nests number up to 100 individuals. Such paper wasps are found in Russia, but, fortunately, they do not sting as often as their relatives on the North American continent.
2
Wasps from the genus Pepsis
Tarantula hunters such wasps settled throughout the planet, and grow to a length of 5.4 cm. Wasp got its specific name due to the fact that it often hunts dangerous arachnids.
Those who encounter bites say that it is a fierce, blinding pain, as if the body was shocked. Schmidt rated such pain at 4.0 points. They have a thick sharp sting that leaves a mark on the body.
A fairly strong insect that can easily cope with large tarantulas and other spiders, much larger in size.
1
Tropical Bullet Ant / Paraponera clavata
The first place in our list of stinging insects on most-beauty is occupied by a large ant that lives in the tropical forests of South America. In English, they are called Bullet ant, and on a pain scale they have the highest level of pain bite equal to 4.0+.
In addition, they have poison. Adults grow up to 2.5 cm, with a long sting of 3.5 mm. Highly organized and aggressive insect. Everyone in the colony has its own role and the ant strictly adheres to it all his life. Attack the victim with a group.
Some Native American tribes use them in a complex ritual of initiation, when young men walk in gloves filled with painfully stinging ants. Michael Smith corporal pain map.
P.S.
Executioner wasp / Executioner wasp
This is a rare species of wasps, native to Central and South America, although it is not listed on the Schmidt scale, it has perhaps the strongest bite among insects.
The popular naturalist blogger Coyote Peterson became famous for having experienced the bites of many insects to determine the most painfully stinging of them. So, in one of his expeditions, he tried on himself a terrifying bite of an executioner wasp.
For those who did not look, let's say that the bite of this wasp was the most painful. In addition, severe pain after a bite lasted several hours. The action of the poison lasted about a week.
Summary
In addition to the insect sting pain scale, which Schmidt compiled, another American Michael Smith identified the most painful points on the human body. Here, a honey bee was chosen as an instrument of the experiment.
The bee stings hardest in the human nostril. Smith rated this indicator at 9.0 points. In second place is the upper lip. A bite in this area on the face is 8.7 points.
The most painless bite areas were the human skull and the very tip of the middle toe. Only 2.3 points.
In conclusion, we note that the world and the scientific community did not appreciate the impulses of the American naturalist and brave entomologist. In 2015, he was awarded the Shnobel Prize. The same award was awarded to Michael Smith. Justin Schmidt was born in 1947 and now on his account more than thousands of bites by various types of insects, and in his scale he described the bites of 83 species of insects. But no matter what kind of experiment the scientists push themselves to, be careful in the city and in nature.