The Honeybee Sting - Myths and Facts
Contrary to popular belief, the only members of the colony that possess stingers are the females. The female members of the colony include: the workers and the Queen. This distinction is important as the Queen and the workers possess stingers that are slightly different designs which allows them to use them in slightly different ways.
The Worker Bee- female honeybee
The stinger of a worker is situated at the base of their abdomen. Internally, the stinger and venom sac are attached to the digestive tract of the honeybee. Therefore, when the barbed stinger enters the target, the barbed anatomy of the stinger holds it in place as the bee flies away, ultimately ripping out the venom sac and digestive tract. The worker honeybee will not survive post sting. Perhaps this is why the worker honeybee tends to be more vigilant when and why they sting. They are less likely to seek and sting when foraging or flying back home as stinging inevitably means a gruesome end to their lives. The majority of stings tend to occur when one steps on or squishes a bee, when they feel threatened or when their home is being invaded.
Queen Bees
The Queen, on the other hand, is able to sting multiple times as her stinger is much smoother. It does not possess the barbed anatomy, such as that of the worker bee, and so she is able to sting without getting stuck in her target. The Queen’s defence mechanism isn’t necessarily for defending the colony as a whole but for protecting her role as the matriarch. When there are multiple Queen cells in the colony or when another Queen makes it on the scene, she is able to defend her title by stinging her opponent.
The Drone - male honeybee
The drone, or male honeybee, does not possess a stinger and therefore does not defend the colony. Unlike worker bees, drones also lack pollen sacs, so they are unable to collect food for the hive. Their primary role is reproduction!
Other Stingers
There are several flying insects that have the ability to sting such as: the bumblebee, the yellow jacket, the hornet—and the list goes on. Unlike the worker honeybee, the majority of these insects can sting multiple times and each possess venom unique to their species. This is why you may have varying allergic reactions to different species.