Scientist Has Sampled 150 Different Stings: Admirable or Insane?

Bee stings aren't pleasant, but they're hardly the end of the world. Yellowjacket stings, on the other hand... A little more pungent. However, if you want to know what stings you should really avoid, just ask Justin Schmidt, an entomologist from the University of Arizona. He's tried them all, from the "light, ephemeral" sting of a sweat bee (a 1 out of 4 on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index) to the gunshot sting of the infamous bullet ant (off the scale), all in the name of science.

Schmidt has subjected himself to 150 different species of sting over the last couple of decades, explaining that the more aggressive the insect, the more painful the sting. He primarily samples Hymenopteran stings -- that is, wasps, bees, and ants -- so he's shied away from scorpions and the like. Still, his body of work is impressive. And his descriptions are well worth a read:

Sweat bee (1.0): Light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm.

Yellowjacket (2.0): Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W. C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.

Paper wasp (3.0): Caustic and burning. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut.

Tarantula hawk (4.0): Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair drier has been dropped into your bubble bath.