Sting is sharp and burning — comparable to the imported red fire ant for pain intensity per sting.
Yellowjacket stingers are smooth (unlike honey bees') — they can sting many times without dying.
Despite size and reputation, the European hornet is much less aggressive than yellowjackets — sting pain comparable to a honey bee.
Sting is rated 2.0 on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index — comparable to honey bee. Aggressive late-summer foraging causes thousands of stings per year worldwide.
Asian needle ant sting is rated 1.7 on the Schmidt Pain Index — comparable to a yellowjacket and significantly more painful than most ant stings.
The bristles are urticating — contact causes painful welts and (in sensitive individuals) severe allergic dermatitis lasting days.
Acacia ants defend the tree from herbivores by swarming and stinging — even browsing cattle and deer are driven off.
