Bees employ a specialized defense mechanism known as a stinger, particularly evident in worker honeybees. This structure, a modified ovipositor, serves as a means of protection for the bee and its colony.
The Stinger’s Anatomy
The honeybee stinger is approximately 2.5mm in length, designed for venom delivery. It consists of a central stylet and two barbed lancets that flank the stylet.
Each lancet features a series of small, backward-facing hooks, or barbs, resembling tiny serrations along its edge. The stylet itself also possesses less pronounced barbs, which can vary in number. At the base of this piercing shaft lies a bulb-like structure, which houses a venom sac and associated glands. This bulb is connected to muscles that facilitate the alternating movement of the lancets, driving the stinger deeper into tissue during a sting.
Identifying the Stinger on a Bee
When a honeybee is not actively stinging, its stinger is typically retracted and housed within a specialized chamber at the very end of its abdomen. This protective enclosure keeps the delicate apparatus safe. The stinger only becomes visible when the bee extends it, usually in response to a perceived threat.
Upon extension, the stinger appears as a dark, pointed projection emerging from the bee’s posterior. The tip, though small, is sharp and needle-like, ready for its defensive role. While on the bee, the stinger’s full complexity, including its barbs and internal mechanisms, is not readily apparent without magnification.
What a Stinger Looks Like After a Sting
After a worker honeybee stings a mammal, its barbed stinger typically remains embedded in the victim’s skin. The barbs prevent the bee from pulling the stinger back out, causing it to detach from the bee’s body along with the venom sac, muscles, and sometimes parts of its digestive tract. The detached stinger appears as a small, dark, needle-like object.
A key visual characteristic of the detached stinger is the small, white, pulsating venom sac still connected to its base. This sac often continues to contract, actively pumping venom into the wound even after it has separated from the bee. The visible barbs on the stinger’s shaft ensure it remains anchored in the skin, allowing the venom delivery to continue.