What ant is known for having the most painful sting of any insect?

The ant known for having the most painful sting of any insect is the bullet ant, Paraponera clavata. Its common name reflects the sensation many people compare to being shot, and its sting receives the highest rating on the original Schmidt sting pain index.

Bullet ants live in humid lowland rainforests of Central and South America. Workers can reach roughly 18–30 millimetres in length and are among the largest ants in the world. They are usually not aggressive away from the nest, but they defend their colony fiercely by biting, stridulating, and stinging.

The venom contains poneratoxin, a neurotoxic peptide that affects voltage-gated sodium channels. This helps explain the sting’s intense, radiating pain, which can persist for many hours and sometimes close to a day. The sting is usually not fatal, though it can cause severe symptoms.

The bullet ant also has cultural significance. The Sateré-Mawé people of Brazil incorporate live bullet ants into initiation gloves, requiring participants to endure repeated stings as part of a warrior initiation ceremony.