Chances are pretty good you've heard or read that a bee can only sting you one time because it dies afterwards. If you have been stung by a bee, chances are also pretty good you found a tiny bit of happiness in the fact that the bee died after it stung you. The question is – have you ever wondered whether or not that statement was actually true? Do bees really die after they sting you?
Does The Bee Actually Die?
Whether or not the bee dies after it stings you depends on what you were stung by. If you were stung by a honey bee, you can enjoy the satisfaction of knowing the bee died after it stung you. If you, however, were stung by any other type of bee or a wasp – they will be able to continue to fly and sting again.
Why Do Honey Bees Sting?
Did you know that if you were stung by a honey bee it was a female? Male honey bees do not have stingers. The role of a female honey bee is to defend their hive from any and all threats. If you go near a bee hive and the female honey bees decide you are a threat, they will sting you.
Pheromones are released into the air when a honey bee stings a perceived threat. Other honey bees in the area can smell the pheromones and will head in the direction of them in order to attack you as well. This is how one bee sting can quickly turn into tons if you are near a bee hive when you are stung.
If you were to step on or swat a honey bee, it is extremely common for them to sting you as well.
Why Does The Honey Bee Die?
The death after a honeybee stings is horrific for the bee. The stinger is structured in a way that prevents the bee from being able to pull the stinger back out after it has punctured your skin. When the honeybee tries to pull the stinger back out of the skin, it more or less self-amputates. It ends up rupturing its lower abdomen, leaves the stinger inside of your skin, and yanks out some of its digestive track, glands, muscles, and venom sac instead. This leaves a massive hole in the abdomen of the bee which causes the bee to die.
While the bee is now dead, that venom sac will continue to pump venom into your body. This is why it is so important for you to quickly get the stinger out of your body. It doesn't matter how you get it out – just that you get it out quickly. Contact a doctor's office, such as Oak Brook Allergists, for more information about what to do when you are stung by a bee.
Share2 March 2016
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