Several species of insects can cause you considerable pain thanks to their stings, but which ones hurt the most? A researcher from the University of Arizona has taken a painstaking approach to figure this out.
Justin Schmidt, an entomologist, has been stung by more than 80 insects all in the name of science. Schmidt allowed himself to be stung in order to create the insect pain scale. This is how some of the most common stinging insects ranked:
- Level 1: Fire ants and sweat bees inflict the mildest stings. While these stings are still painful, they’re not as bad as those of other bugs.
- Level 2: Honeybees and Jack jumper ants have stings that are more painful than those of fire ants and sweat bees.
- Level 3: Yellow paper wasps and Florida harvester ants inflict stings that are highly painful, but they’re not the most painful stings of all.
- Level 4: The worst insect stings come from bullet ants and tarantula hawk wasps. These stings have been described as “blinding” and “fierce.”
Fortunately, not all of the above insects are native to NJ, but when you have stinging ants, bees or wasps, keep in mind that it’s safer to let NJ pest control experts remove them. If you have stinging insects in or around your home, don’t hesitate to call our NJ pest control professionals. Get in touch with Allison Pest Control, and we’ll get them off your property before they can sting you or your family.