Dragonflies are large, rapidly flying insects often seen near bodies of water. Their prehistoric appearance and powerful wings contribute to common misconceptions about their capacity to harm people. Many question if their long, slender abdomen means they can deliver a painful bite or a venomous sting. Understanding their biology and natural behavior provides the clear answer.
The Straight Answer
Dragonflies do not sting and are not aggressive toward humans. They are wild insects that generally avoid contact with people, as humans are not their natural prey. Any physical interaction is almost always accidental or occurs when the insect is captured and handled. While they possess strong mouthparts, dragonflies do not carry venom and do not possess a medically significant way to harm a person.
Are Dragonflies Capable of Biting
Dragonflies are equipped with powerful chewing mouthparts called mandibles, which they use to capture and consume prey mid-flight. These mandibles are structured like incurved, razor-sharp hooks, making the dragonfly an apex predator within the insect world. Their diet consists almost entirely of flying insects, such as mosquitoes, flies, and midges, which they catch and devour with speed and precision. The order name for dragonflies and damselflies, Odonata, translates from Greek to “toothed one,” referencing their formidable jaws.
Although their mandibles are formidable, they are not designed to pierce thick mammalian skin as a defensive or offensive weapon. A bite to a human only occurs when a dragonfly is caught and held, perceiving the handling as an extreme threat. In this rare, defensive situation, a larger species like a darner may deliver a sharp pinch. This action is sometimes described as a jab or a prick, and while it may rarely break the skin in very large species, it is entirely non-venomous.
Why They Do Not Sting
Dragonflies cannot sting because they lack a stinger, the specialized structure used by insects like bees and wasps for injecting venom. The long, segmented abdomen of a dragonfly is often mistakenly viewed as a stinger. This abdomen serves several biological functions, including locomotion and reproduction. This confusion often stems from old folklore and nicknames like “devil’s darning needle.”
Female dragonflies in certain families, such as the hawkers, possess a structure called an ovipositor at the tip of their abdomen. This organ is exclusively used for egg-laying, not defense, and contains no venom. Females with a functional ovipositor use it to make small incisions in plant stems or soft mud near the water to deposit their eggs. Other dragonfly species lack this fully formed ovipositor and simply tap their abdomen on the water surface to release their eggs.