Samuel Robinson

What’s the worst sting? Is a scorpion, centipede or wasp sting different to a bee’s? Do those even sting?  In this account I share my experiences with the world’s stinging wildlife. I describe the sting in the style of my late friend and collaborator Dr Justin Schmidt* 1/2

Black-bellied hornet. Vespa basalis. 24 mm. Asia. Intense and bloody building sharpness – Another memorable nail gun misadventure. Pain level: 7/10

Asian needle ant. Brachyponera chinensis. 3 mm. Asia. True to name – jabbed repeatedly with tiny needles. Pain level: 2/10

Bicolor ant. Stictoponera bicolor. 5 mm. Asia. The lights are on but no one's home. No sting. Pain level: 0/10

Yellow-legged hornet. Vespa velutina. Vespidae. 20 mm. Asia. Instant intense building sharpness that turns bloody – a memorable misadventure with a nail gun. Pain level: 7/10

Red-footed ant. Pseudoneoponera rufipes. Formicidae. 18 mm. Asia. A little burn leaves a blister – you impatiently tried to sip the foam off your hot chocolate and got the scolding liquid on the tip of your tongue. Pain level: 3/10

Army ant. Dorylus sp. Formicidae. 7 mm. Asia. Happy to nibble but no sting. Pain level: 0/10

Elephant nettle. Dendrocnide sinuata. 10 m. Asia. Tried out some cheap dentistry, shouldn’t have - starts as a rashy tingle but beware the toothbrush or anything remotely cold for the next week. Pain level: 4/10

Note: This non-stinging fly mimics bumble bees (genus Bombus) in both appearance and behaviour. Although it doesn’t sting, it does have a sharp spikes, which when combined with the mimicry can make a convincing case for release.

Bee mimic fly [WY, USA; ID appreciated]. 12 mm. North America. Cloak and dagger, but the dagger is plastic. No sting. Pain level: 0/10

Up close, the army ant Eciton hamatum is part monster, part marvel. Curved mandibles jut from its bulbous head like a pair of scimitars. Six whip-thin legs, bristling with hairs and spines, suspend its slender thorax above the ground. Then there are the insect’s innards—the tiny brain, the musculature filling virtually every nook and cranny of the exoskeleton, the digestive tract like a thread running the length of the body. The view of this species, and 791 others, comes thanks to a particle accelerator and years of painstaking work by a team of biologists. Learn more: scim.ag/3N5A5bR @NewsfromScience

Our research @StingScience @IMBatUQ showcasing some surprising insights into evolution from wasp stings and frog skin – today in @ScienceMagazine science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

The discovery shines a light on what has, until now, been an underappreciated feature of evolution which suggests life is not so random after all. @StingScience @UQ_News theconversation.com/wasps-and-frog…

Hairy-eyed bee mimic fly. Mallota sp. 16 mm. North America. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. No sting. Pain Level 0

Small brown paper wasp. Ropalidia sp. 7 mm. Asia. The texture and immediacy of glass shards evaporating to an unremarkable itch. Pain level: 3/10

Pain level: 4/10

Hunt’s bumble bee. Bombus huntii. 15 mm. North America. Dense, hot and stabby – playing with fireworks again. Pain level: 2 #thestingofthewild #scicomm

Pain level: 2/10

Great golden sand digger wasp. Sphex ichneumoneus. 22 mm. North America. A rapidly dissipating sharpness, some warmth remaining – a playful cat claw. Pain level: 1 #thestingofthewild #scicomm

Pain level: 1/10

Cuckoo wasp. Chrysididae. 8 mm. North America. A sluggish sort of itch – lacking intentionality. Pain level: 0.5 #thestingofthewild #scicomm

Pain level: 0/10

Jumping spider. Salticidae. 5 mm. North America. No attempt, just huddled up and shows those (8) puppy dog eyes. Pain level: 0 #thestingofthewild #scicomm

Southern Michelin ant. Amblyopone sp. 10 mm. Australia. Deceptively lifeless, before building to a fine sharpness and finishing with a concentrated itch. Pain level: 2/10

Pain level: 1/10

Jumping spider. Salticidae. 8 mm. [Darling Downs, QLD Australia; ID appreciated]. A little spike, barely perceptible – a prickle hiding somewhere in your sock. Pain level: 0.5