Bullet Ant

Bullet Ant

The Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata) is an ant species found in lowland tropical rainforests in Central and South America.

They are famous for having the most painful sting in the world which is said to be comparable to the pain of being shot, giving them their name.

They are sometimes called the ‘big black ant’, ‘conga ant’, ‘the lesser giant hunting ant’ and the ’24-hour ant’ referring to the full day of pain that follows after being stung by one.

They are members of the order Hymenoptera, to which most ants, wasps and bees belong.

Bullet Ants are famous for their sting, and are one of the worlds largest ants, with distinctive mandibles (pincers) and a large stinger extending from their abdomen.

Like many members of the order Hymenoptera, they live in complex colonies with hundreds of members. They have lots of forager ants who collect food and bring it back to the nest which is where the queen ant and her larvae live.

Their nests are often at the base of trees with buttress roots. Worker ants will climb up and down trees searching both for small arthropods, and for nests they can raid for nectar.

They attack small arthropods with their sting, the venom of which paralyses or kills them. Whatever goodies they find they carry back to the nest in their large mandibles.

As with many invertebrates in the tropics, there is not enough data to know the conservation status of Bullet Ants. However, their habitat is under threat, meaning they are likely also threatened. 1

Interesting Bullet Ant Facts

1. Bullet Ants Have The Most Painful Sting In The World

The Bullet Ant sting is said to be the most painful of any insect. This was discovered by a man called Justin O. Schmidt, who claims to have been stung by almost every stinging member of the Hymenoptera order. He had this to say about being stung by a Bullet Ant:

“pure, intense, brilliant pain…like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel.” 2

The sting can last for 24 hours, and symptoms include fever, nausea, trembling and cardiac arrhythmia.

Schmidt created the Schmidt scale of insect pain, which has 4 categories. The Bullet Ant was the only insect in category 4 (the highest level), until it was joined by the Tarantula Hawk, who’s sting lasts considerably less time at 2 hours.

While their sting is painful, they aren’t generally aggressive. When provoked, they will typically clamp down with their mandibles first (also painful), before stinging. However, when they sting, they release a chemical that makes all the ants around them go into a stinging frenzy.

2. They Are One Of The Largest Ant Species

Bullet ants can grow up to an incredible 1.2 inches long, which makes them one of the largest true ant species in the world. Unlike other ant species, the queen of a bullet ant colony is usually around the same size as the workers.