Bees are attracted to nectar and pollen but sometimes can be seen drinking beverages or a sweet liquid as eagerly as humans.They might linger around you but once they sense that you are not a sweet food, they will leave you alone right away. Despite this, we all have come across incidents in which either we or someone we know has been stung by a bee.Bee stings contain venom which is released from the stinger. Their sting can be a result of disturbance near the hive or if they see you as a threat. It is always better to keep your distance. The western honey bees sting is the worst of all bee stings with a pain rating of two. While the venom is not always fatal. the sting in itself can cause a set of reactions in the body that is unpleasant. Bee stings are a form of defense mechanism, in fact one of the best ones humans know. Bee stings happen often during the summer times when they are busy building the hive or looking for food and come in contact with humans quite a lot. A person who is not allergic to bee stings can tolerate as many as 1,000 stings. Did you know that the Harvard School of Public Health after keen research has said that the odds of getting stung by a bee is 6 million to one?Continue reading to learn more about bees and do check out our other articles on why bees make honey and why horse flies bite.Do sweat bees sting or bite?Sweat bees are bees that are typically attracted to sweat. They are meek and rarely sting. Since they mostly live away from humans in an underground hive, the odds of a sweat bee stinging a human is not that high.You might witness them in your gardens or near rotten woods where the availability of pollen is abundant. Similar to honey bees, they tend to live in their own space without causing a lot of disturbance. However, they might be seen as a nuisance due to their fondness for perspiration. These bees are generally not aggressive unless they think you might bring harm to them. You might pose a threat without even realizing it. For example, going near the bee’s hive where your shadow falls over it or producing some sort of vibration near the hive. When this happens, sweat bees immediately raise their guards and switch to defensive mode. Female bees and worker bees have stingers and are the only ones capable of stinging. Male bees lack stingers. They do not always bite or sting, sometimes they just want to get a taste of the salts and minerals that come out of a human’s body in the form of sweat. While it might cause fear, it is best to stay calm and refrain from alarming them. You can proceed to gently brush them off rather than hitting them which only worsens the situation. Compared to the honey bee sting, sweat bees are relatively harmless because honey bees cause twice the amount of pain. The sweat bee sting on a rating scale is a one, with one being the least painful.Types Of Bees That StingNot all bees are capable of stinging. Most male bees lack stingers and cannot sting. Some of the female bee species, despite having a stinger, will not be able to sting due to the short length and weak structure of the stinger.Bees such as social bees live in groups and will sting if you are spotted anywhere near their hives or nests. Other bees that sting include the carpenter bee, bumblebee, and honey bee. The queen bees almost never sting humans. They only use it for defense against other queen bees. Apart from stinging when they feel threatened, they also release pheromones. This pheromone is sensed by worker bees that are nearby or in the hive. They immediately fly to defend and protect their friend.Can bees sting more than once?Except for honey bees, all other bees are capable of stinging multiple times. Bees do not go around thinking or plotting how to sting a human. They do not want to sting you unless you cause any disruptions in their activities by using harsh methods like swatting.Multiple stings only occur when you keep on disturbing them. Like previously said, you can do this without realizing. For instance, when you go near a beehive and disturb them without the motive or intention to do so, they feel threatened and attack you. The best way is to look for a shelter or a shield to prevent or stop them. If and when you solely focus on attacking them by hitting or pushing them away aggressively, they feel even more threatened which results in multiple stings. This is very unlikely. The slender stinger in bees, except for honey bees, allows them to pierce and eject the human skin easily without any complications. However, in the case of a honey bee, this is not possible. They have a barbed stinger that is left behind, attached to the human skin along with a part of their digestive tract which gives a serious injury in the lower abdomen causing it to die. The barbed singer has a hook-like structure that is curved in the opposite direction making it impossible to retract them once they are pierced through the skin. This stinger releases venom even after the bee has left and can cause pain until removed. Getting stung multiple times can cause severe allergic reactions. Queen honey bees have a slender stinger which helps them sting a few times without dying in the process. You might ask why sting when they know they are gonna die? Female honeybees are one of the few stinging insects that die trying to protect their hive. The extremely defensive queen and female honey bees sting only when there is an absolute need.Do bumble bees sting hurt or is it harmful?A bumblebee sting is comparatively less painful than a honey bee sting. Unlike a honey bee, the bumblebee lacks a barbed stinger allowing it to sting multiple times. It might trigger certain reactions right after the sting, but these reactions only last for a while and are dependant on the victim.The stinger is attached to the venom gland and Dufour’s gland that releases venom which contains phospholipase A2, acid phosphatase, and hyaluronidase. These chemicals can cause a mild reaction in the body such as pain, itching, redness, or a spot at the sting spot. Some people might develop a rash or hypersensitivity in the area after being stung or even have harsh reactions like diarrhea, hives, lightheadedness, low blood pressure, fluctuations in heartbeat rate, fainting, or dyspnea. In such cases, the person will have to seek immediate medical attention. Being stung multiple times by a bee or other insects might cause severe anaphylaxis in some people which can be fatal.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do bees sting then why not take a look at why do moths like light, or honey bee facts pages?
Bees are attracted to nectar and pollen but sometimes can be seen drinking beverages or a sweet liquid as eagerly as humans.
