The CSIRO website is full of fascinating topics and articles. Below is a recent blog by Eamonn Bermingham.
Being home to some of the world’s deadliest animals, we also have our fair share of bugs which, although they won’t kill you, can leave you in quite some of pain.
But which of our beautiful insects should you avoid this summer?
In the 1980s American entomologist Justin Schmidt developed an index to rate the relative pain caused by different stings on a four-point scale. (In compiling his list Schmidt was stung by more than 100 insects.)
Using the Schmidt sting pain index combined with the knowledge of the CSIRO’s expert Dr David Yeates, they come up with a scale to rate the pain inflicted by some of the insects you might come across while you’re out and about this summer.
House ants Yeates rates: 0.1
Although not specifically identified in Schmidt’s listing, we couldn’t go without asking Dr Yeates about these little Aussie heroes.
“Ants love to come indoors at this time of year, particularly if you leave scraps of food lying around,” Dr Yeates said.
“The good news is that if they bite it probably feels more like an itch you want to scratch.”
Meat ants Yeates rates: 0.5
So-called because of their fondness for eating meat. They feast on caterpillars, butterflies, cane toads and the occasional misplaced human foot.
Justin Schmidt didn’t enjoy the privilege on being munched on by these Aussie natives, but our man Dr Yeates can recall the pleasure.
“They can’t sting you, but if you get bitten by a meat ant it can be quite irritating,” Dr Yeates said.
“The bite from a green tree ant is quite comparable in terms of pain, as it will bite you to cut into the skin before spraying formic acid into the cut.”
Fairly tame in comparison to stinging ants.
“Any ant that can sting will also bite you, and some will bite to hang on while they sting.”
Fire ants Schmidt pain rating: 1.2
Although it’s somewhat comforting to know that this ant’s name is not related to dietary preference, less reassuring is the true origin of the fire ant’s name: multiple stings give the sensation that the body is on fire.
Native to South America, fire ants have been found in parts of South East Queensland since 2001, and are classed as a social menace because of their sting.
Schmidt awarded the fire ant a modest pain scale rating of 1.2 describing the sting as: “Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet and reaching for the light switch.”
Honey bee Schmidt pain rating: 2.0
Contributing an estimated $4–6 billion a year to Aussie crop production as well as enabling us to eat and enjoy everything from apples to coffee, honey bees play a key role in our lives.
However, scoring 2.0 on the Schmidt pain index, their sting can leave you wishing for something a bit stronger than a soy latte.
Schmidt describes the sting as akin to a “matchhead that flips off and burns on your skin”.
But help is at hand. “If you are stung, remove the sting as soon as possible to minimise the amount of venom injected,” Dr Yeates said.
Assassin bug Yeates rates: 2.0 (continued next month)
See this article and images in Tree Fruit Jan 2016
