Apparently they range from India to Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, and the Americas so Smugland probably has a colony somewhere....
To make things worse for Baldymort their sting is one of the most painful according to the Schmidt sting pain index. I will point out that Schmidt was of questionable sanity given he tested all of them out on himself...
Pain Level 1Some of the insect stings Schmidt considers to be at a pain level of 1 include the Southern fire ant, the elongate twig ant, the Western paper wasp, the digger bee, and most small bees. The duration of the pain of insect stings categorized into Pain Level 1 generally is five minutes or less.
Since many small bees are categorized into a pain level of 1, most toxic polypeptides in bee venom are melittin, apamin, and MCD peptide. Melittin is the main toxin of bee venom, and it damages red blood cells and white blood cells. Apamin is a neurotoxin that augments polysynaptic reflexes. MCD peptide destroys mast cells.
Feeling only slight pain, Schmidt has described the sting of a digger bee, categorized into Pain Level 1, as "almost pleasant, a lover just bit your earlobe a little too hard." Also rated into Pain Level 1, Schmidt has described the sting of the sweat bee as "light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm."
Pain Level 2Schmidt sets the sting of the Western honey bee at a pain level of 2 to be the anchoring value, basing his categorization of all other stings on it. He has categorized a variety of wasps, bees, and ants into Pain Level 2, including yellowjackets, the Asiatic honey bee, the trap-jaw ant, and the bald-faced hornet. The duration of the stings in this level is generally between five and ten minutes long. Schmidt categorized the majority of Hymenopteran stings as having a pain level of 2.
The sting of a termite-raiding ant, categorized as a pain level of 2, has a similar feeling as "the debilitating pain of a migraine contained in the tip of your finger," according to Schmidt. On the contrary, a yellowjacket's sting was described as being "hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W. C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue." Though the sting was a different feeling, the yellowjacket was also rated at a pain level of 2.
Pain Level 3Most insects that are characterized as having a pain level of 3 are wasps, including the red paper wasp, the metricus paper wasp, and the velvet ant (which is actually a wasp, not an ant). The duration of the sting pain can range anywhere from one minute (such as the sting of the red paper wasp) to half an hour (such as the sting of the velvet ant). Wasp venom uniquely contains wasp kinin that exhibit kinin-like activity. One of the kinins found in wasp kinin, "polistes kinin 3", is found to lead to similar effects on smooth musculature and circulation as bradykinin.
Some ants are also rated at a Pain Level 3, including the giant bull ant and the Maricopa harvester ant. Schmidt considered the sting of the Maricopa harvester ant as having a pain level of 3, describing it as such: "After eight unrelenting hours of drilling into that ingrown toenail, you find the drill wedged into the toe."
Pain Level 4Pain Level 4 is the highest level in the Schmidt sting pain index. Schmidt's original index rated only one such example, the sting of the bullet ant, as a 4.[1] Schmidt has described the sting as "pure, intense, brilliant pain...like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel."The bullet ant's venom primarily contains poneratoxin, a paralyzing neurotoxic peptide.
Schmidt later gave the sting of the tarantula hawk a rating of a 4, which he described as "blinding, fierce and shockingly electric." The composition of the tarantula hawk venom is unknown, though the duration of pain from the sting is short-lived, lasting only approximately 5 minutes.
Schmidt also rates the sting of the warrior wasp as a 4, describing it as "Torture. You are chained in the flow of an active volcano. Why did I start this list?", saying the pain lasts up to two hours.
