The Worst Pain Known to Man?

Caution! Viewer discretion is advised. Videos of men in severe pain.

The bullet ant (Paraponera clavata) is a species of ant which inhabits areas ranging from Central (Nicaragua) to South America (Paraguay). It has an extremely painful sting, which according to some victims, resembles the feeling of having been shot, hence the name bullet ant.

I'll let Wikipedia explain it further:

"The pain caused by this insect's sting is purported to be greater than that of any other hymenopteran, and is ranked as the most painful according to the Schmidt sting pain index, given a "4+" rating, above the tarantula hawk wasp. It is described as causing "waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that continues unabated for up to 24 hours".

"The Satere-Mawe people of Brazil use intentional bullet ant stinging as part of their initiation rites to becoming a warrior. The ants are first rendered unconscious by submerging them in a natural sedative, and then hundreds of them are woven into a glove made of leaves (which resembles a large oven mitt), stingers facing inward. When the ants regain consciousness, a boy slips the glove onto his hand.

The goal of this initiation rite is to keep the glove on for a full 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, boys must go through the ordeal a total of 20 times over the course of several months or even years."

First off, here's a video from National Geographic concerning the construction of the gloves (starts around 1:04).

Next up, white guys doing a ritual that doesn't concern them.

This guy took it pretty well (at least while wearing the gloves).
Not as well as the natives, but pretty well.





This guy (Hamish) on the other hand, hadn't done his homework.
Nor did his friend (Andy) who obviously thinks it's just an act at first.




(source)