Bullet Ant Sting: Why It Is the Most Painful Sting in the World
Updated: 1 day ago
The bullet ant (Paraponera clavata) has the most painful sting of any insect, according to the well-known pain index of entomologist Justin Schmidt. Its name says it all: people who have been stung say it feels like being shot. Below you can read how painful a bullet ant sting really is, why the pain lasts so long and whether it is dangerous.
How painful is a bullet ant sting?
Justin Schmidt was an American entomologist who was stung by dozens of different bees, wasps and ants during his career. He ranked the pain on a scale from 1 to 4, with the sting of a honeybee as a 2. The bullet ant is the only insect he gave a 4 plus, the highest score on the scale. He described it as "walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel".
A few other insects also reach level 4, such as the tarantula hawk wasp. The big difference is how long it lasts. The pain of those wasps fades within minutes. The pain of a bullet ant keeps going for hours.
How long does the pain last?
The pain comes in waves of burning and throbbing that can last up to a full day. That is where its Venezuelan name comes from: hormiga veinticuatro, the "24 hour ant". Besides the pain, the stung area can swell, feel numb or stiff, and some people start shaking or get a racing heart.
Why does it hurt so much?
The venom contains poneratoxin, a small protein that works on the nerves. In 2023, researchers at the University of Queensland, together with Justin Schmidt, published a study in Nature Communications about the pain toxins of ants, including the bullet ant. They found that these toxins act on sodium channels in the nerves that carry pain signals. Normally those channels open only for a moment. The ant toxins make them open more easily and stay open, so the nerve keeps sending pain signals long after the sting. Some scorpion venoms work in a similar way.
That makes the venom interesting for science too. By learning exactly how it causes pain, researchers hope to understand pain better, and in the long run to develop new pain medicines.
Is a bullet ant sting dangerous?
For most healthy people, a bullet ant sting is extremely painful but not life threatening. Like any insect sting, it can cause an allergic reaction. Get medical help right away if someone has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, or feels dizzy or faint after a sting. In other cases, wash the spot, cool it and rest. Ask a doctor or pharmacist about suitable pain relief.
When does a bullet ant sting?
Bullet ants mainly sting to defend their nest, which sits at the base of a tree. Workers first warn with a squeaking sound. Most stings happen when someone leans against or grabs a tree with a nest, or disturbs a foraging worker. Read more about where they live and how a colony works in our post on Paraponera clavata.
And the ants in your garden?
Most European ants cannot sting at all, they bite or spray formic acid. A few can, such as Myrmica rubra, but its sting feels more like a nettle than a bullet. Read more in our Myrmica rubra care guide. And for more surprising facts about the bullet ant, see 12 bullet ant facts.
Curious how anyone could take dozens of these stings at once? Read about the bullet ant glove ritual, or find out whether you can keep a bullet ant.
Sources
Robinson, S. D. et al., 2023. Ant venoms contain vertebrate-selective pain-causing sodium channel toxins. Nature Communications.
Schmidt, J. O., 2016. The Sting of the Wild. Johns Hopkins University Press.
University of Queensland, 2023. Research reveals ants inflict pain with neurotoxins.
Photos: © Jonghyun Park
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