Cavedale RhônesCame across a Velvet Ant today. Cute little bug that is not an ant, but a wingless wasp with a serious sting. It is nicknamed “Cow Killer”, so you don’t want to mess with them! #Insects
AI6YR Ben@ai6yr You can test it if you want 🤣🫣. According to my 8 year old grandson, the African version which has red fur, is the real Cow Killer. He is a student of dangerous stuff in the world. 😉
W6KME@CavedaleRhones @ai6yr good thing they are such chill things, because they're everywhere here.
@W6KME @CavedaleRhones We have Tarantula Hawks, which I steer clear of. They have a reputation for dispensing immense pain.
@W6KME @silentLurker @CavedaleRhones
HAHAHAHA someone actually got stung by every single one of these insects for this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmidt_sting_pain_index
h/t @emily
ater@ai6yr @W6KME @silentLurker @CavedaleRhones @emily He also had a protege who got himself stung all over by a honey bee to figure out where it would hurt the worst, giving us this lovely scientific diagram.
(Spoiler: the three most painful locations were the nostril, upper lip, and penis shaft )
James Gilbert@ater @ai6yr @W6KME @silentLurker @CavedaleRhones @emily I was stung on my lower lip by a bee which lodged in the corner of my open mouth while cycling. It was certainly painful!
I seem to recall that the Australian bullet ant is supposed to have the most painful sting.
@ater @ai6yr @W6KME @silentLurker @CavedaleRhones @emily Oh yes, Paraponera clavata is there on the list at a 4, but it is South American, not Australian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraponera_clavata
🏴🏳⚧🏴☠