Bees, often recognized for their industrious honey production and vital role in pollination, possess a defense mechanism that can be quite surprising. Can these social insects sting members of their own kind? While not a frequent occurrence, bees are indeed capable of stinging other bees under specific circumstances, behaviors often rooted in colony survival and well-being.
The Bee Sting Mechanism
The worker honey bee’s stinger is a specialized organ, originating from a modified egg-laying device. This barbed stinger is designed to lodge firmly in the thick skin of a mammal. When a worker bee stings, its barbed stinger, along with parts of its digestive tract and muscles, is torn from its abdomen, leading to the bee’s death shortly after. This self-sacrificial act means worker honey bees are reluctant to sting unless the hive is under serious threat. In contrast, queen bees and bumble bees possess smoother stingers with fewer or no barbs, allowing them to sting multiple times without perishing.
Intra-Colony Stinging
Within a single bee colony, stinging among nestmates is a rare but purposeful event. One notable instance occurs during queen rivalry, particularly when new virgin queens emerge. The first queen to hatch will actively seek out and attempt to sting rival queens to establish her sole leadership. Bees also exhibit social immunity by removing sick or non-productive individuals, such as diseased brood or unproductive drones, from the hive. This behavior helps prevent the spread of pathogens and maintain the health of the colony.
Inter-Colony Stinging
Aggression between bees from different colonies is a more common occurrence, driven by territorial defense and resource protection. Bees identify intruders through their unique colony scent. If a bee from another hive attempts to enter, guard bees stationed at the entrance will challenge and often sting the intruder. This aggression escalates during periods of nectar scarcity, when bees from one hive may attempt to rob honey from another. Such “robbing” can lead to intense skirmishes at the hive entrance, where guard bees fiercely defend their stored resources.
Variations Among Bee Species
Stinging capabilities and behaviors vary significantly across different bee species. While generally docile, bumble bees can sting other bumble bees if territories or resources are contested, particularly over nest sites. Solitary bees, which do not live in colonies or produce honey, are largely non-aggressive. Females of solitary bee species can sting, but they rarely do, and typically only if physically provoked, making stinging between solitary bees uncommon. Male bees, known as drones, of any bee species, lack stingers entirely and are therefore incapable of stinging.