If you were lost in the jungle, the first thing you would make sure of is that no big cats were present to eat you, or venomous snakes to inject their lethal venoms into your body.
What about insects? Did you ever consider them, because they are far more present in the jungle than large predators and they have a sting of their own?
Today we count down the 15 most painful insect stings in the world. So spray your body with some “Off”, put your head “net mesh” on, and watch attentively!
15 – Western Yellow Jacket Wasp
Number 15 on our list is the Western Yellow Jacket Wasp.
Yellowjackets, having nests in the hundreds and potentially thousands of individuals. They don’t have that much reluctance because they are natural predators and are more inclined to fight at a lesser level of provocation.
They typically prefer fresh food, they are actively hunting living caterpillars, beetle grubs, fly maggots, any insect of any sort.
That’s what they feed their young. Without the predators, we would be up to our ears in bugs.
Our plants would be fully stripped because there would be no population control. They do a great job of
managing insects out in the wild and in our yards. It’s just unfortunate that, in their hunting forays, they could encounter us. They are all over the place, from under front steps and back decks, to up in trees.
It’s crazy where they turn up but obviously, they affect people trying to enjoy their properties and there is nothing worse than being stung by a wasp, especially unexpectedly.
Don’t antagonize the yellow jackets or don’t, in a foolhardy way, try to get rid of a nest on your own. If you squish a wasp, a
pheromone is released which is a battle cry for other wasps, and you are guaranteed you will have a
bunch of furious sisters coming to check out the situation. Being stung once is bad enough, but having multiple stings can really ruin your day fast.
14 – Fire Ant
Number 14 on our list is the Fire Ant. Known and feared for being aggressive when disturbed, fire ants bite when attacking, they use a combination of biting and stinging to inject venom and ward off
intruders.
To start the stinging process, fire ants bite the skin of the victim and pinch the tissue.
The mandibles, or mouthparts, of the fire ant, prick the skin and raise it enough to create a target for the stinger.
Extending from the abdomen of the fire ant, the stinger is attached to an internal poison gland and resembles a hypodermic needle in structure. The fire ant thrusts the stinger into the raised skin held between the mandibles and injects the burning venom.
Fire ants can sting multiple times and often attack in swarms. Like other stinging insects, fire ants bite and sting when disturbed or threatened.
The dreaded ant species lives in underground nests, which the insects defend aggressively. Fire ant nests feature a distinctive mound that pushes upwards and causes the surface of the ground to bulge visibly.
Humans and other animals that inadvertently step on the mound often fall victim to fire ant attacks.
Besides the noticeable mound, the nests of fire ants frequently include tunnels located just beneath the surface of the ground.
The aggressive insects habitually exit the nest to attack passers-by walking on the ground directly above the tunnels. Fire ants also bite and sting when encountered above ground while foraging for food.
Though fatal too many small animals, fire ant bites usually only cause humans to have mild reactions of irritation. The venom of the sting initially produces the uncomfortable burning sensation for which we name the fire ant.
Initial symptoms may also include itchiness, redness, and swelling at the site of the wound. The most distinctive symptom of a fire ant bite is the blister, called a pustule, that contains fluid and forms within six hours to a day after the sting occurs.
The pustules typically diminish after a week or two and sometimes leave behind scabs or scarring lasting an additional three to ten days.
