Any experts on Vespula out there?
I recently had an encounter with Vespula maculifrons and received several stings and bites but surprisingly, they were relatively painless. However, the sources I’ve read about the species indicate that the stings are painful.
They became very aggressive after I accidentally disturbed their subterranean nest, but the stings were merely noticeable, not painful. They felt like a bite from a large mosquito or a mandible pinch from a small insect like a non-venomous ant or slightly more painful than a ladybug pinch. Less painful than a black fly, and much less painful than a honey bee.
So, are my sources incorrect or do I just have some weird blood-chem that makes the venom less painful for me?
