In a 2018 interview for the Guardian he explained that many of the stings were accidentally received due to the nature of his work. But what wasn’t accidental was his dedication to recording and capturing the unique data: “I know some people think me crazy, but I am no masochist, and only occasionally am stung on purpose. When it does happen, I initially react as anyone else would – cursing, more than I should admit. Then I get out my notebook and stopwatch, sit down and make notes.” The full list, and his amazing insightful research into stinging insects, can be found in his book “The Sting of the Wild” (2018)
I vaguely knew of this but I didn’t know the background. It was posted on Meta by a friend of a friend that roomed with him in college here. Another six of separation thing.