How do bees sting?

A worker honeybee can only sting once in its life.

Most bees depend on their stingers, or stings, only as a means of self-defense and to protect the bee colony’s store of honey from robber bees and bears, as well as people.

A bee’s sting causes sudden pain and swelling.  You may know something about that already.

The stinger of a worker is located at the tail end of its body.  It has little barbs that turn inward.

So, when the bee sticks it into your skin, the barbs hold so tightly that the bee cannot pull it out.  The bee must tear itself away, leaving part of its body behind the stinger.

The bee dies soon after losing its stinger continue to pump the stinging fluid into the wound even after the bees has flown away.

If you are stung, gently scrape the stinger off immediately.  This reduces the amount of poison that enters the wound.

There are many kinds of bees, and many of them don’t sting at all.

Bumblebees and wasps can use their stingers over and over. – Dick Rogers