• Question: How does a bumble bee sting?

    Asked by KatieC! :-P to Áine, Ciarán, Eoin, Lydia, Victoria on 12 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Ciarán O'Brien

      Ciarán O'Brien answered on 12 Nov 2014:

      Bumblebees have a little spike in their rear ends, when they sting someone they stick that into your skin like a syringe needle and inject their venom. The venom contains chemicals that cause a lot of pain and swelling, and if you get stung somewhere sensitive, like the eyelid or your mouth, that can be really dangerous and you might have to go to hospital to get treated.

      While honeybee stingers are barbed and stick in their victim (also causing the honeybee to die :(), bumblebee stings are not, so they can sting you several times.

      Bumblebees are very peaceful insects though, and you have to really annoy them before they’ll be upset enough to attack you. Leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone.

      Can’t say the same for wasps though. They’ll just sting you for fun. Wasps are jerks.

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