There are many animals famous for stinging, like jellyfish, scorpions, stonefish… They all sting when they feel threatened or to catch a prey. As you know, bees also sting, of course. But what maybe you are not aware of is that they only to that to defend themselves!
Honeybees actually sacrifice themselves to protect the hive. If you think about it, this is a big form of altruism, because they think that the death of a few of them to defend their hive is nothing relative to the health of the colony. In fact, the stinger gets stuck and tears off, taking part of the bee’s abdomen with it. Honeybees are also the only bee species to possess barbed stingers. On the contrary, male bees, also known as drones, do not have stingers at all.
Bees do not always sting when they need to protect their hive and honey. Some of the further reasons why they do it is for irritation due to the stormy weather and thunder, sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation, and lack of nectar during the dearth. There is also a kind of bee which is genetically more aggressive, the Africanized Honey Bees.
Despite being the source of human pain when they sting us, it is very surprising that bee venom has medical properties. As a matter of fact, apitherapy uses bee venom to relieve muscle and joint pain. Some experts even claim it can counteract arthritis!
Did you also know that less than 1% of all people are allergic to bees? And that you are more likely to be struck by a lightning than being stung? These are just some curiosities related to the world of these small creatures. You should also know that beekeepers are always stung by bees. If you ask them: “Have you been stung?” they will surely reply: “Do you mean today?”