BEES are the ultimate reluctant security guards, lovely and cute when visiting flowers but allegedly doomed the moment they have to "unsheathe" their stinger against a threat.
The familiar claim that every bee dies immediately after stinging is certainly dramatic and memorable.
So, do all bees die immediately after stinging a threat?
Verdict:
FALSE
Not every bee dies after stinging, and even honey bees do not die immediately.
In fact, only eight out of almost 21,000 bee species in the world die when they sting, according to bee researchers from the University of Wollongong, Western Sydney University and the University of Sydney.
Most bee species can sting as many times as they like, because their stingers lack the barbs found in honey bees.
The well-known one-sting-and-die outcome mainly applies to female worker honey bees that sting mammals, including humans.
The reason for this is that a worker honey bee's stinger is barbed.
So, when it stings the relatively thick, elastic skin of a mammal, the barbs can lodge in the skin.
As the bee tries to fly away, the stinger may remain behind.
Unfortunately for the bee, it is not just leaving behind a tiny needle.
The stinger is connected to part of the bee's abdomen, along with muscles and a venom sac.
Pulling away can cause a fatal abdominal rupture.
In short, the bee's exit strategy is terrible.
But even then, it does not necessarily die immediately.
The detached stinger can continue pumping venom briefly after the bee attempts to fly away.
It also releases an alarm pheromone, which can signal other nearby honey bees that something is wrong.
Side note: This is why swatting at one angry bee is generally not a strategy endorsed by anyone who enjoys being left alone.
If the female worker honey bee stings another insect or a target with a thinner outer surface, it may be able to withdraw its stinger without suffering the same end.
There are also some important differences within the colony.
Worker honey bees can sting once and usually die after their stinger is torn out.
Queen honey bees, on the other hand, have a smoother stinger and can sting more than once, though they generally save it for rival queens rather than humans.
Male honey bees, known as drones, do not have stingers at all.
In fact, male bees of all species lack stingers.
And if you're wondering why female worker honey bees have such a fatal defence, it is because for them, protecting the colony can matter more than protecting one individual.
A worker's fatal sting may help defend thousands of relatives, including the queen and developing young.
Sources:
2. https://www.
3. https://beespotter.org/topics/
4. https://extension.arizona.edu/
