What Bee/Wasp/Hornet has the most painful sting or bite/sting combination?

Question

I always wondered if there was a website devoted soley to ranking via poll or data on the most painful sting issued by a winged stinging insect. that is, which one of those beasties packs the biggest punch?

I guess to be more general - how do all the wasps/bees/and hornets rank in regards to each other in sting/bite intensity? For example does a honey bee sting hurt more than a Bald Faced Hornet? Also assumes only one sting is issued to the unfortunate recipient as wasps and hornets can sting repeatedly.

http://www.neatorama.com/images/2006-06/asian-giant-hornet.jpg Make it stop! If I turned to see this on my mitt I would let out a man scream and faint.

Answer 1

The Tarantuala Hawk Wasp which can be found from southern California to Texas has one of the most painful stings.
The female sting Tarantula spiders and bring them back to their nest in a hole in the ground and lay eggs on it.

http://www.friendsofsaguaro.org/tarantulahawks.html
http://www.nps.gov/archive/moja/mojaantw.htm

Answer 2

Hornet hurts the most by far-then a Yellow Jacket-3rd wasp-lastly is a regular bee which normally won't mess with you.

I have been stung by ALL of these and hornets are the worst! Luckily I am not allergic to any of the toxins in these because I have been stung so many times. I live on the gulf coast of Mississippi and in the woods basically where we have all those insects everywhere.

A hornet will make you fall to your knees, scream, cry and make you think that you were just stabbed. For instance if you were stung on your arm by a hornet (left arm) your whole left side of your body would be in pain.

I was riding a 4-wheeler and ran into a tree with a wasp nest. I was stung about 10 times all over my body. Yes it hurt bad but it did not compare to ONE sting from a hornet.
I hope that puts it into perspective a bit for ya.

Answer 3

Well, if you can rate the "punch" in a sting by the size of the stinger, then it's gotta be the hornet. I've heard my whole life that a hornet sting can put you in the hospital - and I believe it, because I've got hornets in my neighborhood (somewhere) that are bloody well the size mice!

Some people are allergic to any kind of bee sting, of course, but I'm ignoring that for your question. Hornets are huge, and I cannot imagine the kind of pain that one would suffer from one of these monsters impaling them! They must have stingers like golf tees. Makes me shudder to think about it!

Answer 4

A hornet sting can knock an adult down. And they can sting repeatedly. Wasps stings hurt badly and they too can repeat. A honeybee stings only once; he loses his stinger and then dies. A bumblebee sting is very painful. But the hornet is easily agitated and will attack; it's the worst.

Answer 5

I was tubing in the Chipola River of Florida today and felt something nip at my right shin. Two dragonflies were chilling there, I noticed, as I thrashed in a knee-jerk reaction. This happened twice(both times there were two) as I was chatting with my buddy. They bite... even when unprovoked. Hope that helps somehow. Strangely, they like to land on me often when I am there... This was the first any had ever "bitten" me.

Answer 6

a hornet the size of a peanut,sounded like a small plane

Answer 7

fire ants r ruff. Japanese hornets really hurt, but i think the black hornet/ bee r w/ever is supposed 2 hurt bad.

Answer 8

Japanese hornets - I'd hate to get stung by one of these - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060720-hornets-video.html

Answer 9

the black bee