Meet The Texas Ants With The Worst Stings In The State

Texas is home to over 200 species of ants. The most well-known is the imported Red Fire Ant. They are no stranger to us because of their abundance, signature mounds, and searing sting

Why Are Fire Ants Called Fire Ants?

There are three main schools of thought for the answer to that question.

1. Their reddish-brown color
2. Their aggressive, fiery behavior
3. The pulsing, burning sensation of their sting

I would say the correct answer is all three, but with a lot of emphasis on option three.

Texas Ants With The Most Painful Sting

I would venture that the majority of Texans have had the misfortune of stepping in or near a fire ant mound. This has resulted in several direct hits and a collection of welts on your skin for hours.

As agonizing as that may have been, fire ants do not possess the most painful sting of Texas ants; in fact, it's not even close.

READ MORE: These Wasps in Texas Deliver Some of the World's Worst Stings

Say Hello To The Texas Bullet Ant

Also known as the Hairy Panther Ant, it is found mostly in South Texas and into Central America. Its large mandibles can chop prey in half, and let a human know of its presence.

However, it's the excruciating sting that sets the ant above all other Texas ants. The YouTube video below from Jack's World of Wildlife gives you details on this insect as well as a first-hand experience of how bad the sting is (skip to the 6 1/2 minute mark for the impaling)

In Second Place, The Rapacious Panther Ant

Apparently, in Texas, you want to avoid any ant that has the word 'fire' or 'panther' in its name.

Rapacious is defined as aggressively greedy or grasping. Not only does that describe some of my relatives, but this panther ant that claims the second worst sting in Texas (at least, according to Jack's World of Wildlife).

In the video below, Jack identifies the Rapacious Panther Ant as having the most painful ant sting in Texas. That's until his arm was introduced to the Hairy Panther Ant a year later. (Skip to the 4 1/2 minute mark to see the skewer)

It appears that you would need to do quite a lot to entice either of the Panther Ants to come after you and sting you (like grab them by forceps and push them against your skin).

Red Fire Ants, on the other hand, pattern their behavior on Liam Neeson in Taken:

A single sting from a Panther Ant, or a free-for-all by a group of Red Fire Ants, I think I'll just stay indoors.