bees and wasps

[WSB Fan]

Do all bees and wasps die after they sting you?

[B00]

Bees do, wasps don't (the evil lothesome thing!)

[andy-hughes]

As Boo advises, wasps have a retractable sting, which they can use at will, but they only sting as a defence.

Bees' stings are an integral part of the abdomen of the bee, and after stinging, the bee tears itself away, leaving the sting behind, with the appropriate muscle still pumping venom, and the bee, fatally mutilated, dies soon after.

[Clanad]

To supplement the already provided information it should be noted that only the females sting, since the stinger is actually a modified ovipositor used by the female if she should happen to be selected, before birth to be a queen. The queen is capable of stinging, but it's reserved for killing other potential queens and she can sting repeatedly. The drones, who are all males, are incapable of stinging...

[saxy_jag]

However, although a wasp can retract its sting, it doesn't often live for much longer, because its victim (if human) usually swats it before it can escape!!

[naz_nomad]

Urban myth ... bees don't always die after stinging you

[RATTER15]

Hi Naz, you are very right, they don,t always die after stinging me, they usually die before they sting me!!

I been a pest controller for 13 years Naz and I never heard that before, I been stung thousands of times, they do leave a fair chunk of themselves behind after stinging.

[WSB Fan]

Thanks all, it explains why I have been stung 3 times by wasps but when I bee flew down my tee shirt, it didnt sting at all. It must have been a boy bee.