The bullet ant's sting is currently the highest on
Schmidt's sting pain index, at 4.0+. According to
Justin O. Schmidt he described the pain like ”Walking over flaming charcoal with three inches of nails embedded in your heel". Some victims compared the pain to that of being shot, hence the name of the insect. It is described as causing "waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that continues unabated for up to 24 hours". 6
Lymphadenopathy,
edema,
tachycardia and fresh blood appearing in human victim feces are common symptoms.
Poneratoxin, a paralyzing
neurotoxic peptide isolated from the
venom, affects
voltage-dependent sodium ion channels and blocks the
synaptic transmission in the
central nervous system. It is being investigated for possible medical applications.
The
Sateré-Mawé people of
Brazil use intentional bullet ant stings as part of their
initiation rites to become warriors. The ants are first rendered unconscious by submerging them in a natural sedative, and then 80 of them are woven into gloves made of leaves (which resembles a large
oven mitt),
stingers facing inward. When the ants regain consciousness, a boy slips the gloves onto his hands. The goal of this initiation rite is to keep the glove on for 10 minutes. When finished, the boy's hand and part of his arm are temporarily paralyzed because of the ant venom, and he may shake uncontrollably for days. The only "protection" provided is a coating of charcoal on the hands, supposedly to confuse the ants and inhibit their stinging. To fully complete the initiation, however, the boys must go through the ordeal 20 times over the course of several months or even years.