Worker bees are non-reproductive females responsible for defending the honey bee colony. Yes, worker bees do sting. The consequence of this defensive action for the bee itself is highly unusual among common stinging insects. The sting is a permanent, self-sacrificial act when deployed against threats like mammals that have thick skin. This unique outcome is dictated by the specialized physical structure of the worker bee’s stinging apparatus.
The Barbed Stinger and How It Works
The stinger of a worker bee is a complex organ that evolved from what was ancestrally the bee’s ovipositor, or egg-laying tube. This defensive weapon is comprised of three main parts: a central stylet and two lateral components called lancets. The lancets are the defining feature, as they are lined with backward-pointing barbs that function much like the teeth on a harpoon.
When the bee thrusts its stinger into a target, small muscles drive these two barbed lancets in an alternating, back-and-forth motion. This reciprocating action works to saw and pull the entire apparatus deeper into the skin of the victim. The barbs quickly catch and anchor into the skin, especially the tough, fibrous integument of mammals. This physical mechanism is highly effective for venom delivery but prevents the bee from retracting the weapon once it is fully embedded.
The Fatal Outcome of a Worker Bee Sting
The barbed structure of the stinger directly leads to the worker bee’s demise when stinging a large mammal. Because the barbs are deeply lodged, they cannot be cleanly pulled out of the thick skin. When the bee attempts to fly away, the entire stinging apparatus is violently torn from the abdomen. This catastrophic evisceration pulls away the stinger, the attached venom sac, nerve cells, and significant internal tissue. The resulting massive abdominal trauma causes the worker bee to die within minutes, even though the detached stinger continues to pump venom into the wound for several seconds.
Defensive Behavior
Worker bees reserve the action almost exclusively for the defense of their colony against perceived large threats, such as mammals raiding the hive for honey. When a sting is delivered, it instantly releases a powerful chemical signal known as an alarm pheromone. The main component of this pheromone is isopentyl acetate, which smells similar to banana and quickly alerts other bees nearby. This chemical cue recruits additional workers to the precise location of the threat and triggers an aggressive defensive response. The sacrifice of one bee is a coordinated warning system to mobilize the rest of the hive against a predator.
Other Castes and Stinging Capabilities
Other bee castes within the colony have different stinging capabilities. The male bees, called drones, do not possess any form of stinger and are incapable of stinging. The queen bee does have a stinger, but its structure is smooth and lacks the large barbs of the worker bee. The queen can sting repeatedly without self-injury. She rarely uses this weapon for colony defense, instead reserving it for dueling and eliminating rival queens inside the hive.