| Starr sting pain scale | |
|---|---|
| Purpose | compare the overall pain of hymenopteran stings |
The Starr sting pain scale was created by the entomologist Christopher Starr as a scale to compare the overall pain of hymenopteran stings on a four-point scale, an expansion of the "pain index" originally created by Justin Schmidt.[1][2] 1 is the lowest pain rating; 4 is the highest.
| Rating | Insects |
|---|---|
| 1.0 | Southern fire ant (Solenopsis xyloni), Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) |
| 1.5 | Western cicada killer (Sphecius grandis) |
| 2.0 | Honeybee,[which?] Africanized bee, Bumblebees,[which?] Yellowjackets |
| 3.0 | Velvet ants,[which?], Paper wasps,[which?] Florida harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex badius) |
| 4.0 | Tarantula hawk (Pepsis grossa), Bullet ant (Paraponera clavata), Warrior wasp (Synoeca septentrionalis) |