 Fatalities associated with Myrmecia stings are well known , and have been attested to by multiple sources . In 1931 two adults and an infant girl from New South Wales died from ant stings , possibly from M. pilosula or M. pyriformis . Another fatality was reported in 1963 in Tasmania . Between 1980 and 2000 , there were six recorded deaths , five in Tasmania and one in New South Wales . Four of these deaths were due to M. pilosula , while the remaining two died from a M. pyriformis sting . Half of the victims had known ant @-@ sting allergies , but only one of the victims was carrying adrenaline before being stung . Most victims died within 20 minutes of being stung , but one of the victims died in just five minutes from a M. pyriformis sting . No death has been officially recorded since 2003 , but M. pilosula may have been responsible for the death of a man from Bunbury in 2011 . Prior to the establishment of a desensitisation program , Myrmecia stings caused one fatality every four years . 
