In fact, the bullet ant’s sting is so painful, that it exceeds the maximum threshold of four on the Schmidt Pain Scale for Stinging Insects. This is a scale that entomologists use to measure the ...

In his 2016 book "The Sting of the Wild" (Johns Hopkins University Press), entomologist Justin O. Schmidt described being stung by a bullet ant as "pure, intense, brilliant pain.

“Bullet ant stings can be painful for up to 12 hours, and it’s a deep drilling pain you feel in your bones with sweating and goosebumps, quite unlike the 10-minute impact of a typical bee ...

Schmidt's rating gives a poetic description of the bullet ant's sting: "Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch rusty nail in your heel." ...

He travels the globe collecting ants, bees and wasps. Along the way, he's developed the Schmidt sting pain index - not surprised. It ranks pain on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being the worst.

“Bullet ant stings can be painful for up to 12 hours and it’s a deep drilling pain you feel in your bones with sweating and goosebumps, quite unlike the 10-minute impact of a typical bee sting.

The sting’s pain can last for up to 24 hours, and is currently the highest rated on the insect pain scale known as Schmidt's Sting Pain Index.

Justin O. Schmidt died Feb. 18. The Tucson insect expert was famous for getting stung by his research subjects and creating a pain scale to rank the experiences.

Photo of a velvet ant, a wingless group of wasps that deliver a formidable sting. The excruciating sting ranks a three out of four on the Schmitt Pain Scale for Stinging Insects. Brett_Hondow ...