Getting stung by an insect feels like a mean joke from nature, one moment you’re welcoming the lovely weather and enjoying your garden and the next, you’re dancing around your garden screaming words your grandmother would wash your mouth out for saying. That pain you feel from an insect sting is no accident. It is a result from millions of years of evolution and biological warfare.
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Check PriceThe Schmidt Sting Pain Index is a ranking system for insect stings created by Justin Schmidt, an entomologist who has been stung by over 150 different species (he did this voluntarily by the way). The index ranks insect stings on a scale of 1 to 4, so you can think of them as a heat index as long as your entire arm feeling like it's on fire is not a deterrent.
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Level 4+: Bullet Ant – Champion of Ultimate Pain
The bullet ant doesn't just sting you – it delivers what scientists call 'pure pain.' This Central American nightmare injects poneratoxin, a neurotoxin specifically designed to overstimulate your pain receptors for maximum suffering. The pain literally feels like being shot, hence the name. Your muscles will spasm uncontrollably, nausea kicks in within minutes, and the burning sensation lasts 12-24 hours. Apply ice immediately, take ibuprofen for inflammation, and antihistamines for any swelling. The good news? You're unlikely to encounter these guys unless you're spelunking through Costa Rican rainforests.
Level 4.0: Warrior Wasp – The Terrible Invader
These yellow and orange demons have a venom mixed with a chemical that causes intense and deep pain, leading to a sensation caused by your very own heart, as if it were pulsing. Warrior wasps' stings are also different from the rest because their sting feels like a nail being hammered into you. While the initial pain from their sting can last around half an hour, it can go on for several hours. It is recommended to wash and clean the area, apply some hydrocortisone cream to reduce the swelling, and most importantly, don't scratch the area. The demon wasps' sting contains some of the chemicals used to increase the irritation.
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Level 4.0: Tarantula Hawk – The Producer of Paralysis
This giant wasp can injure you and cause your nervous system to shut down. People say they feel like they are being electrocuted and suffer temporary paralysis in the affected arm or leg. Thankfully, the pain only lasts minutes which is somewhat of a relief. Soreness will stick around for a few days though. The worst part about it is that you have to stay calm and still. If you move around it will spread the venom to more parts of your body. It will definitely hurt, but if you stay still and calm the pain will subside and you will feel a lot better after. Cold packs can be used at the end of the process to help with the pain.
Wasp Paper – The Continuing Burner
When paper wasps sting you, they inject you with a mix of venom that contains histamine, phospholipase, and acetylcholine. This venom causes extreme pain and can cause long lasting pain. You will get a immediate burning feeling, a large red bump will form, and the area will itch for hours. In addition to all of this, these wasps can sting multiple times, and the venom gets more potent with each sting. In order to treat this, you should clean the area very well and ice the area for 15 – 20 minutes. Then you should also take an anti-inflammatory medication. You need to keep an eye on the area to see if it gets more red or hot areas. If it does, that could be a sign that an infection has developed.
Niveau 2.0: Honingbij – De Kamikaze Stinger
When honey bees sting, they die. Their stinger gets stuck in your skin, and they continue to pump venom even after they die. A honey bee sting is worse than other insect stings, even though they are much larger, because the process of stinging one time injects anti venom for 60 seconds. When stinging, bees venom is more powerful and more injurious than other stinging insects. After being stung by a bee, do not use your fingers or any other object to pull the stinger out. Use your credit card to sscrape the stinger out. Then, clean it and put some baking soda to stop the process of stinging and ice to relieve pain.
Level 2.0: Yellow Jacket – The Aggressive Repeater
Yellow jackets are the bullies in the insect world because they can sting multiple times and are aggressive and have a bad temper. Their smooth stinger and aggressive attitude deliver extreme pain and will cause immediate swelling. Unlike honey bees, who lose their stinger in an attack, yellow jackets can keep stinging you multiple times until you get away. Due to the chemicals in yellow jacket venom, there are often allergic reactions to their stings. There are steps you can take to reduce the pain after being stung: Applying ice to the region of the sting, taking an antihistamine, and cleaning the sting to avoid infection. The pain caused by the sting will go away in about an hour, but the swelling will take 1-2 days to go away.
When Pain Becomes Dangerous: Key Signs to Watch Out For
Examples of medical emergencies are problems like breathing, hives spreading to other areas, rapid heart rate, light-headedness, or any sort of face or throat swelling. These symptoms could be signs of anaphylactic shock which is an extreme allergic reaction and can be fatal in just a few minutes. If you experience any of these symptoms, or someone you are with, you should never drive to the hospital yourself, but instead call 911.
Tell someone about the possibility of you being stung and also keep an EpiPen outdoors with you just in case. If you are going to be outdoors, an allergy can develop at any time, even if you have been stung in the past and have not had a problem with it.
The Schmidt Pain Index shows that insects have millions of years of practice when it comes to defensive weapons. Learn how to react to their attacks, and remember: while the most painful sting is temporary, the wrong response to an allergic reaction could be permanent.
