Why do bees sting? Defense of the hive is the first reason

Bees live in very large groups. In case of a threat, they do not hesitate to attack

Bees sting to defend themselves. However, this obvious statement has many facets. The reasons why bees sting are related to a number of factors. The sting is the only defense tool that these small animals have at their disposal but, very often the annihilation of the enemy also takes place through other techniques.

A bee stings whenever she feels threatened or when she senses that danger is about to strike the swarm. Bees are very cooperative with each other. The hive is made up of a large group of individuals, which constitutes a real family.

What happens when a bee stings?

When a bee stings , her goal is to kill her enemy. The bee sting is slightly curved and serrated. These characteristics make it a really powerful weapon against other insects. When a bee stings, the damage inflicted on the enemy is not limited to the mechanical action of stinging alone but affects another important factor: the poison .

When the stinger is used, the musculature around the venom glands contracts and injects enough venom to eliminate the enemy .

Bees sting to defend themselves from other insects that threaten the hive and when this happens, the bees manage to survive. In fact, a bee does not always die after using the sting.

For example, if a bee attacked an insect with a rigid exoskeleton , it would be able to retract the sting without problems.

The situation is different when the bee attacks the human being .

Does the bee die after biting a person?

The bee can sting a person for various reasons. Bees are usually quite docile animals and do not attack without a reason. The wasps, on the other hand, are much more aggressive.

A bee tends to sting when she feels threatened. This can happen, for example, when we are too close to a nest. What happens is that after stopping, the bee also releases a pheromone which communicates the arrival of danger to the other bees, encouraging them to join the attack. The sting of a single bee is not dangerous for humans (except in the case of allergies) but the situation is different if the attack came from several individuals. Stings inflicted by an entire swarm could be lethal.

When a bee stings a person , immediately afterwards, the latter dies. This happens because our skin is elastic and does not allow the bee to retract its sting after sting.

As we have specified, the bee sting is serrated. For this reason, when the bee flies away, its sting remains stuck in our epidermis, detaches itself and with it also part of the bee's internal organs remain attached. In this way, the bee dies.

Difference between the sting of workers and queen bees

worker bees and queen bees have different stingers between gold, did you know? First of all it is good to specify that not all bees sting . The sting is a purely female organ. Drones or male bees, therefore, do not have them and cannot sting.

It is possible to notice the absence of stings in males by observing their body. The final part of their body structure in fact ends in a much clearer way and not with the classic pointed shape typical of female specimens.

As already specified, worker bees have a slightly hooked, serrated sting and use it for defense. The sting of the queen bees is different. A queen bee has a smooth and straight sting and uses it as a reproductive tool. This means that thanks to the sting, the queen is able to lay eggs inside the cells.

Only queen bees are able to reproduce. In fact, they lay fertilized eggs to generate new individuals and ensure the exchange of bees within a swarm.

The defense of the hive

Defending the hive is very important. The oldest bees are usually the ones that are placed as guardians. The oldest bees are selected to fill this role since it is a place more exposed to risks. The larger bees are considered more expendable and therefore are willing to give their lives to defend the family.

This does not exclude the intervention of the entire swarm. In the event of more violent attacks, the whole family participates in the defense. This happens with different mechanisms. In fact, bees have several ways to suppress enemies. In addition to the sting, swarms also use other methods.

When a predator manages to gain access to the inside of the hive, the whole swarm is alarmed. The bees unite compactly, envelop the intruder's body and together manage to suffocate it by heating the enemy's body and causing it to die of asphyxiation at very high temperatures.

Bees care about their big family. In case of threats, they become very close and are not afraid to sacrifice themselves in order to eliminate the danger.

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