Bullet Ant vs Cotesia Congregata

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bullet Ant Cotesia Congregata
Scientific Name Paraponera clavata Cotesia congregata
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Braconidae
Size 18-30 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Forests Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Central America, South America North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Bullet Ant

Named for its extremely painful sting, rated 4+ on the Schmidt Pain Index. Indigenous Satere-Mawe people use them in warrior initiation rites. The pain can last 24 hours.

💡

Did You Know?

The bullet ants sting is the most painful of any insect — described as waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that lasts up to 24 hours without any relief.

Cotesia Congregata

A gregarious endoparasitoid whose larvae emerge en masse from hornworm caterpillars to spin white cocoons on the host's skin. It is a well-known natural enemy of tobacco and tomato hornworms.

💡

Did You Know?

Up to 300 larvae can emerge from a single hornworm caterpillar, covering it in tiny white silk cocoons.