The belief that a bee dies immediately after stinging is only partially true, applying specifically to one type of bee when it interacts with a thick-skinned creature, like a mammal. The insect that sacrifices its life after delivering a defensive sting is the worker European honey bee, Apis mellifera. This fatal outcome is a direct result of its specialized anatomy and its colony’s defense strategy.
The Specific Bee That Dies
The death-by-sting scenario is almost exclusively a characteristic of the worker honey bee, Apis mellifera, the common species kept by beekeepers worldwide. Worker bees are non-reproductive females whose primary function is to maintain and defend the massive, permanent hive. The stinger is a modified ovipositor, which is why male drone bees do not possess a stinger.
The queen honey bee possesses a stinger that is smoother and less barbed than that of a worker bee. She rarely uses her stinger for defense, typically reserving it for dispatching rival queens. The act of stinging that results in death is a sacrifice made by the worker caste in defense of the colony.
The Stinging Mechanism and Evisceration
The worker honey bee’s stinger is engineered with backward-pointing barbs, similar to a fishhook. This design is highly effective for penetrating tough, elastic skin, such as that of a mammal, and anchoring the stinger securely inside the tissue. The stinging apparatus is composed of a stylus and two barbed lancets that slide alternately to drive the stinger deeper into the flesh.
When the bee attempts to pull away, the barbs catch and prevent the stinger from being retracted. The force required for detachment causes a catastrophic abdominal rupture. This process, known as autotomy or evisceration, tears the stinger, venom sac, muscles, nerves, and sometimes parts of the digestive tract away from the bee’s abdomen.
This injury is fatal, leading to the worker bee’s death shortly after the sting. The detached stinger and venom sac continue to contract autonomously, pumping venom into the victim. This mechanism ensures maximum venom delivery for defense and also releases alarm pheromones, which recruit other worker bees to the threat.
Why Other Bees and Wasps Survive Stinging
Most other stinging insects, including bumblebees, solitary bees, wasps, and hornets, do not die after stinging. These insects possess stingers that are smooth and needle-like, lacking the barbs found on the honey bee’s apparatus.
The smooth design allows these insects to easily penetrate a victim’s skin and then retract the stinger without causing self-inflicted injury. Because the stinger remains attached to their body, they are capable of stinging repeatedly, often multiple times in quick succession.
The worker honey bee’s barbed stinger is an adaptation for the defense of a large, communal, and valuable food store against large vertebrate predators. For insects like wasps, which primarily use their stinger to subdue insect prey for their larvae, a retractable stinger is more advantageous for their survival and feeding behavior.