Some people purport to have been stung by the most venomous insect that exists. Of course, many people that have never studied insects believe that yellowjackets or hornets deliver the most painful insect stings known to man. Hornets and yellowjackets are commonly believed to have the most painful forms of venom, but in reality, this is not at all the case. In fact, both hornets and yellowjackets are comprised of several different wasp species. In other words, neither hornets nor yellowjackets are their own unique class of insects, but they do deal out stings that are relatively painful as far as wasps are concerned. When it comes to pinning down the most painful insect sting, the bullet ant and the tarantula hawk wasp make for great candidates. However, the sting inflicted by a warrior wasp is rated as equal to the bullet ant sting and the tarantula hawk wasp sting on the pain-scale.
Warrior wasps are unusually aggressive, and this fact is well expressed by the soldier’s habit of guarding the outside of their nest, which demonstrates a level of territoriality that is not seen in most aggressive wasp species. These wasps are highly sensitive to loud sounds, and merely producing a loud sound in the vicinity of a warrior wasp nest is enough to provoke the insects into attacking whoever or whatever is nearby. Warrior wasps seem to be looking for any excuse to go into attack mode, as even unrecognizable vibrations can induce aggressive attacks. When warrior wasps perceive a threat, the soldiers guarding a nest will start to flutter their wings so rapidly that it produces a loud sound that intimidates other animals into backing-off, including humans. This loud wing-fluttering also serves to entice other soldiers into leaving their nest in order to join the threatening demonstration. Those who have sustained a warrior wasp sting claim that the pain is comparable to being caught within a lava-flow. Even scientists claim that victims of warrior wasp stings often sound insane as they scream and writhe in pain. Strangely enough, researchers have found that warrior wasp venom may be useful for treating anxiety disorders.
Would you be willing to experience the pain of a warrior wasp sting for scientific research?