We should be grateful to YouTubers, many of whom are willing to answer questions none of us would dare attempt to discover the answers to, such as, “Will a bloodworm bite me?” and “What does it feel like to get bitten by bulldog ants 200 times?”
Brave Wilderness’ Coyote Peterson recently ventured to Australia’s Sunshine Coast to seek out an answer to the bulldog-ant question. Like many other terrifying insects and arachnids, bulldog (or just bull) ants are primarily found in Australia, and their stings are incredibly potent — their venom is among the most toxic in the world. Oh, and did I mention they can jump?
With all of that in mind, why wouldn’t Peterson deliberately try to get stung by these ferocious creatures 200 times?
First, Peterson lets himself be stung by just one ant, in order to rank the ant on his insect-sting pain index. Peterson holds the ant on his arm, allowing it to sting him before it can jump away. According to Peterson, the sting starts off with just a tingle, increasing in pain as time goes on. Fifteen seconds in, he ranks the pain at about a two — i.e., not too bad.
Then comes the second test. Peterson rounds up several ants in a box, into which he will place his hand and let them go ham. At this point, the first sting on his arm is turning red and beginning to itch, but it’s still not too painful. He finally sticks his hand into the box, and the ants descend. Almost immediately, one stings him under a fingernail. While not all of the ants opt to sting him, enough do that it sounds increasingly painful — apparently the most painful stings are the ones on his wrist.
Peterson ultimately removes his hand from the box, but several stubborn ants remain, requiring him to manually remove them before fleeing the scene. Where a single sting ranked as a two, 200 stings are significantly more painful, though not, Peterson notes, as bad as 200 stings from yellowjackets.
In addition to the pain, there are physical symptoms — his hand turns blotchy, there is swelling and his hand starts to feel cold. In addition, he has difficulty moving his fingers. In the end, though, he seems okay, and explains to viewers that they should be able to withstand a couple of stings. He does caution viewers to be mindful of allergic reactions, however, and explains that if you notice yourself having an adverse reaction beyond what he’s experiencing in the video, seek medical attention quickly.
His pain is your gain?
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