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 Sooner
or later many of us will have the unpleasant experience
of being stung by a bee or wasp. Most insect stings
occur during late summer and fall when stinging insects
are most abundant.
Generally,
these insects will not sting unless stepped on, touched
or annoyed. Most stinging wasps and bees are beneficial
and should be preserved unless they pose a direct hazard
to humans. Some, including the honey bee, are important
pollinators essential for the propagation of plants,
including many agriculturally important crops. Honey
bees also produce honey and beeswax.
The
purpose of a honey bee sting is for defense. If a honey
stings you, it is fatal for the bee - it will shortly
die. After the bee stings, it trys to pull away from
you, but the barbs on the stinger keeps the stinger
in your skin. As the bee pulls away, she leaves behind
the stinging complex (the stinger, the venom gland and
the muscles controlling the gland). The
stinging complex keeps working to pump venom into the
victim even though the bee itself is long gone. An alarm
pheromone is also released to "mark" the victim,
so expect more bees to sting you if you have got one.
Sources:
Stinging Wasp and Bees, University of Nebraska and Zachary
Haung, Associate Professor, Department of Entomology,
Michigan State University
Resources for More Information:
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University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in
Lancaster County
