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Worst insect stings based on scientist's personal experience
Mosquitos are out in full force this time of year and those bites can be annoying, even painful, but one scientist purposely stung himself with dozens of insects to see for himself what hurts the most.
Tampa, Fla. - A Southwestern Biological Institute entomologist at the University of Arizona purposely got stung by a variety of different insects to find out which ones were the top 10 most painful stings in the world.
Justin O. Schmidt is the author of The Sting of the Wild, His four-point system "Pain Scale for Stinging Insects" was used during his 80-plus experiences being stung.
The list he created is subjective since it is only Justin Schmidt’s opinion, however, he described the pain levels in great detail.
Some of these dangerous creepy crawlies can be found in Florida.
Number eight on the entomologist’s list is the "Florida harvester ant." These ants build in sandy, open areas. Schmidt rated the pain a 3 out of 4, and it can last for hours.
The fifth insect on the list is also here in Florida. It’s the common western honey bee that was also given a 3 out of 4 on the pain level.
Western honey bee photo by James Weliver/USFWS
Number four can be found in South Florida. The velvet ant is a wingless female wasp nicknamed the "cow killer." Schmidt said the pain can last for a "long time" and feels like "hot oil from a deep fryer spilling on your hand."
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Velvet ant photo by USFWS
The bullet ant, which is not in the U.S., is third on the list. The ant can be found in Central and South America. The pain can last for hours.
Number two is the tarantula hawk. It got its name because it preys on tarantulas. They can be found in the southwest deserts of the U.S. The pain is described as "pure agony."
The entomologist wrote that it’s a blindingly fierce and shockingly electric pain that rarely lasts more than five minutes.
Coming in at number one is the warrior wasp. It is only found in Central and South America. When their nests are threatened, they all beat their wings in unison. Their wings produce a rhythm that sounds like troops marching.
Their jaws are an inch long and their sting is "pure torture". Schmidt said that it feels like you are chained in the flow of an active volcano.
For more information on some insects listed here watch this TED-Ed video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUe80HnKE3E&t=8s