This critter is Pogonomyrmex maricopa, a species of harvester ant which is apparently famous for having the most venemous sting of any North American insect. One sting from the Maricopa Harvester Ant is equivalent to twelve honey bee stings. Best of all, it's native to here in Arizona. Just one of the things that I didn't know that I learned over at Alex Wild's latest post. The photo is by him as well.
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Our recent coverage of the Cracked story "The 5 Most Horrifying Bugs in the World" made reference to the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, something we felt the need to explore further. Apparently Dr. Justin O Schmidt, an entomologist recently retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Tucson Carl…
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Getting stung by insects hurts, and some hurt (a LOT) more than others. Of course, this necessitates a 'sting pain' index by which to compare the aftereffects of meeting the business end of a stinger. Why, just last weekend when i was on an ill-fated canoe trip (I dumped out twice, in freezing…
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Pogonomyrmex is greek for "Bearded Ant", named 150 years ago…