What's the worst sting or bite you've ever had?

[bottlenose301]

I've been stung by jellyfish, wasps, bumble bees, and bitten by spiders (not big huge ones), red ants, mosquitos and those bitey flies. Oh and the odd cats and dogs.

For me the worst by far was the bumblebee. I put my hand on it not seeing it there and it hurt sooooooo much. Like my hand was on fire or something. I don't really remember completely what the actual pain felt like that as it was years ago but I do remember that it hurt like nothing else and for ages too. Poor thing didn't even mean to sting me, I put my hand on it!

Jellyfish did hurt but not agony - it was only one of those small ones you get. (In France)

Red ants can hurt and itch like mad too.

What's the most painful bite or sting you've ever had?

A hornet or wasp or something like that driving through Greece.

We had gone from mainland to island and something stung my thigh.

Oh my word the pain. My whole leg went red inches around the sting. It swelled and skin was burning.

We stopped at Greek cafe so I could get some cold water on it and have a drink etc. The owner suggested putting vinegar on it. We thought he was mental!

It actually works!

He was so lovely to me and my friends and so sympathetic. I'm guessing these stingy fuckers were everywhere and bite people frequently!

I have been stung by wasps before and it wasn’t too bad but last summer in Germany I was stung by one on the flesh of my inner arm ( trapped it as I put my arm down) . It was seriously painful at the time and actually made me cry and feel very light headed. It was very painful for a few hours and then sore for about a week, the only thing that helped was ice. I actually still have a tiny red mark there now.
No idea if a German wasps are somehow more evil or I just had a bad reaction. Funny thing was I was just telling DS not to make a fuss about wasps as they rarely stung and even if one did it didn’t really hurt

when i was a child i did not realise wasps could still sting when they are dead. i saw a dead wasp on the windowsill and picked it up. he stung me right in the palm of my hand which was agony.
have been bitten by my rescue dog three times needing hospital treatment but i still love him!

Something in the sea - I suspect a jellyfish because there were some about in the water. Whatever it was, it stung my foot and I nearly passed out with the pain. I tried to persuade my husband to wee on my foot as I'd heard this relieved the pain, but he was too embarrassed to do it.

A wasp on the underside of my arm. I was queuing up to get in the zoo and it stung me. Both kids were watching ( they were petrified of wasps and bees) so I totally had to style it out, saying it didn’t hurt and head to the first aid room as the sting was still in my arm.

Twatty wasps

I've been really fortunate that the only things that the only bite/stings I've had are midgies and a few wasps! The wasp stings swelled up slightly but weren't bad. I'm glad that's all I've had.
I do share my home with 26 venomous tarantulas who's bites range from 'bee sting' level to days of agony/potential hospitalisation level...but I don't ever intend to test out their potency...I'm very careful dealing with them.

Definitely a horsefly. Was bit on top of my foot and the swelling ended up so bad I couldn't even put a slipper on. Had to sit with my foot elevated and needed antibiotics.

@57AlCalavicci yes! Total fuckers. Never just a straightforward bite

Was in Scotland attending a wedding in the peak of midge-season. Was also unseasonably hot so the midges were extra-bastardy.

It was a tossup between opening the window for fresh air or sweating to death that night - went for opening the window.

Midges had a feast. I counted over 220 bites all over my body. I was on fire.

Next day on the way home, bumped into other guests from the wedding at a service station - we were like a pack of mangy dogs all scratching ourselves...

And DH attests that weever fish are hideously painful too. The lifeguard treating him told him that some poor woman had sat on one, jumped up, put her hand out to steady herself which also got stung before sitting on another one

Accidentally disturbed a wasps' nest when I was a child and had multiple stings all over.

Managed to stand on a fire ants' nest in the US. Lots and lots of stings which really burnt and were very sore and itchy for days.

Scorpion
Fire ants
Mosquitos because the last time I got massacred by mosquitos I ended up with septicemia.

Infected mosquito bites from Corfu (more than pictured) . I could barely walk, needed antibiotics.

I'm allergic to most insects thanks dad I have been stung by a wasp 3 times in my life, all 3 were horrendous. Twice by honey bees, ouch. By far the worst was possibly a horse fly. I found it hard to stop walking, as weird as that sounds. I was fine until I stopped, it was agony.

Horsefly bite on my shin that got infected and needed antibiotics

Wasp sting that I had a reaction to and ended up with a swelling that took days to go down

I thought I'd really suffered with my incredibly itchy horsefly bite that came up the size of an egg, but having read this awful thread, I think I had it easy.

I'm afraid now. Very afraid.

I'm allergic to mosquito bites so they're always really awful for me. Steroids and antibiotics every single time, massive welts, burning and so much pain. I cover myself in repellent now

You’d think the worst would be the time I stood in a fire ant nest while photographing a mud turtle in Central America... they were up to my neck before the first bite registered 😬

But actually the worst was my own cat when I had to rescue him from a tree as he was pouring blood after being chased by dogs (just snapped off all his claws). I had thrown my coat over him and he bit straight through it and into my thumb. Hurt for weeks

Itchiest - sandfly

Most dangerous - mosquito (landed in hospital)

Worst bite - spider (swelled up horribly)

Italian mosquitoes made me come up in massive purple welts that were agony and itchy as hell. Had them for weeks. Anti-histamines and lashings of ammonia on them didn't even touch the sides.

Worst though is horseflies aka cleggs. Agony at the time of being bitten and I react so badly that whole limbs swell up and need medical attention. Bastards.

Def horsefly. Been bitten a few times but the worst one was just above knee. The centre was a blister the size of a 50p piece and the swelling went right up my leg. Could barely walk. Ended up in outpatients 2 days in a row and serious antibiotics which said on the packet they were for brain infection! The Dr said if it didn't start going down with the 2nd lot of antibiotics I would need to be admitted.

You could actually see the wound pulsing. The horrified people in the waiting room thought I had a gunshot wound

I’ve been bitten by dogs, fleas and mozzies

Stung once by something buzzy but not sure if it was a bee or a wasp as I didn’t see it. Just felt it

The worst has to have been when I was pregnant and we had fleas in the house

I seemed to attract them that time and I had a strange allergic reaction to them. Never happened before, hasn’t happened again but it did them. I was so itchy and sore and I was in tears with it all

I forgot about nettles

I got pushed in to a patch of nettles as a child. I don’t really remember it now thankfully

However I did fall myself into a patch last winter and owwwwww

I had stings on my hand and all down the left side of my face. My eye kept twitching and everything swelled

Luckily it went down within 24 hours but still owww

Mosquitoes in Bruges. I was their human buffet.

Spider bite on arm while bringing the washing in.

Massive swelling, felt very unwell for a few days. Then insanely itchy.

Scariest was the wasp I swallowed - I did wonder why the twig in my smoothie was wriggling in my mouth. Luckily I realised and tried to spit it out so it only stung my tongue, not my throat.

DS fell into a bed of stinging nettles when he was 2; he was naked at the time. Everything else pales beside that. Luckily he can't remember it.