Do Bumble Bees Sting?

There are more than 25000 species of bees in this world. But not all of them can sting you. Most of the bees are solitary in nature. Some popular species like bumblebees and honeybees live in colonies. And yes, bumble bees can sting just like honey bees.

Difference Between Bumblebee and Honeybee:

Bumblebees lack any barbs in their stingers. So after stinging someone they can easily take out the stinger and can sting again.

Honeybees one the other hand have barbs in their stinger. When a honeybee tries to take out the stinger from the infected person, the stinger gets separated from their abdomen. So they can only sting once in their lifetime.

Why Do Bees Sting and Die:

When a honeybee feels threatened it will sting. But as the stinger of a honeybee is made up of two lancets, the stinger gets struck and cannot be pulled out.

When they try to get out the stinger along with its digestive tract, muscles and nerves get torn off. This rapture kills the bee.

Bumblebees don’t die after they sting. Bumblebees don’t have any barbs or lancets. So they can easily take out the stinger and sting again and again.

Can A Dead Bee Sting You:

Well, yes a dead bee can sting you. Unlike ours, the nervous system of a bee is not centralized. So even if the head of a bee is separated from the body the sting can be operational and pump venom. 

So if the bee has just died and the body is still very much fresh, the venom sac will be able to pump venom in the body of the victim.

When A Bee Stings: Can Bees Sting At Night?

Many people also believe that bees don’t sting at night. But this is not true at all. When a bee stings it depends on when they felt threatened. And they are perfectly capable of stinging you at night. 

Though the rate of stinging may be low as compared to in day time, that is because the chances of an interaction between a man and a bee is far less at night.

Which Bumble Bees Sting: 

Only female bumblebees i.e, workers and the queen bumblebees have stingers. The male bumblebees don’t have any stingers. This is because the stinger, or sting, is a modified egg-laying device and only females have them.

Bumblebees are not a very aggressive species. But if they feel threatened they will attack you.

Do Bumble Bees Sting More Than Once:

Yes, unlike honeybees, a bumblebee can sting multiple times.

How To Prevent A Bumble Bee Sting:

As I told you earlier, bumblebees are not an aggressive insect. So they won’t attack you untill you make them feel threatened. 

Avoid bumblebee nest, or any host plants that they feed on. 

If you find a bumblebee nest near you move away from it slowly. Don’t do anything like waving hands or bumping into their nest.

If bumble bees try to sting you, just brush them off. Don’t kill them. 

Protect your head and hands. Use gloves and bee masks when entering their areas.

What Happens When A Bumble Bee Stings You:

When a bumblebee stings you it injects some amount of venom into your body through its stinger. Because of the venom, you will feel severe pain but for a short time. After a while the pain will fade away.

You might see some swelling and redness in the infected area. Itching is quite common symptom in a bumblebee sting.

In some rare cases, you might have some allergic reactions. The effects of a bumblebee sting varies from person to person.

What Does A Bumble Bee Sting Look Like

The appearance of the sting can be different depending on the reaction of venom on the person it stung. It can be either allergic or non allergic.

A non allergic reaction means a bumblebee sting will look like swelling with redness. Though with time these will go away.

For an allergic reaction it might affect the whole body. It can also be a life threatening allergic response.

Treatment For Bumble Bee Sting

In most cases a bumblebee sting doesn’t need any medical treatment. If the sting is in deed getting irritated, take some means to reduce local reactions. 

Apply some cold compression or anti inflammatory drug. You can also apply some ointment to reduce the itch. 

If you find some allergic reaction or sting is near the throat region be sure to consult a doctor.