Given its name because its sting can make a human feel like they have been shot, the sting from a bullet ant can last for 24 hours. The Schmidt Sting Pain index registers the bullet ant sting as the most severe, likening it unto fire-walking with a 3-inch rusty nail grinding into one's heel. The sting results in temporary paralysis of the hand and arm as well as uncontrollable shaking.
And that's why some South American tribes make men wear bullet ant gloves - up to 20 times - as a rite of passage.
