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The female bees (worker bees and queens) are the only ones that can sting, and their stinger is a modified ovipositor. The queen bee has a barbed but smoother stinger and can, if need be, sting skin-bearing creatures multiple times, but the queen does not leave the hive under normal conditions. Her sting is not for the defense of the hive; she ...
The term "queen bee" can be more generally applied to any dominant reproductive female in a colony of a eusocial bee species other than honey bees. However, as in the Brazilian stingless bee (Schwarziana quadripunctata), a single nest may have multiple queens or even dwarf queens, ready to replace a dominant queen in case of a sudden death. [2]
Only female bees have a sting, males do not. Bumble bees typically only sting when defending their nest or when captured. Allergies to bumble bee stings are much less common than allergies to honey bee stings though the venom composition is similar.
Only females have the ability to deliver a sting. [17] Due to their non-aggressive nature, they are only likely to sting if disturbed; the sting is minor. [6] The most common instances of stinging occur from swatting at or accidentally making contact with a halictid trying to get a lick of one's sweat, seeking the dissolved electrolytes. [18]
Queen and worker bumblebees can sting. Unlike in honeybees, a bumblebee's stinger lacks barbs, so the bee can sting repeatedly without leaving the stinger in the wound and thereby injuring itself. [89] [90] Bumblebee species are not normally aggressive, but may sting in defence of their nest, or if harmed. Female cuckoo bumblebees aggressively ...
In the case of a bee sting, he recommends making sure the stinger is removed — use the back of a knife to scrape it off rather than tweezers, which can pinch the stinger and release more venom ...
And over time, a course of allergy shots can reduce or eliminate bee-sting allergies. James is executive vice president and chief medical officer of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
The worker bee's stinger is a complex organ that allows a bee to defend itself and the hive from most mammals. [25] Bee stings against mammals and birds typically leave the stinger embedded in the victim due to the structure of flesh and the stinger's barbs. In this case, the venom bulb stays with the stinger and continues to pump.