Why do honeybees die after stinging?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Barbed stinger rips out organs
Sting uses all their energy — Wrong. Stinging doesn't exhaust energy. The fatal issue is that the stinger has barbs that catch in skin, and pulling away disembowels the bee.
Barbed stinger rips out organs ✓ — Correct! Honeybee stingers have backward-facing barbs (like harpoons). Against thick mammal skin, barbs stick. When the bee flies away, the entire stinger apparatus plus venom sac and digestive tract rip out—the bee dies. Against other insects, the sting usually doesn't get stuck!
Venom is toxic to them too — Wrong. Honeybee venom doesn't harm the bee. The problem is mechanical—the stinger gets stuck and tears away important organs when the bee pulls away.
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