Do Honey Bees Sting Each Other?
People often ask us "Do honey bees sting each other?" This is a complicated Yes and No answer.
As someone who loves watching our buzzing backyard beehives, I was curious if those busy bees ever use their stingers on their fellow colony mates. There's a lot more going on within a bee colony than just making honey!
So, let's dive into the complex social structure of honey bee colonies and see what makes them tick.
A Hive is Like a Small City
Honey bee colonies operate like miniature cities, with different bees performing specialized roles to keep the colony running smoothly. There are three main types of honey bees in a hive:
The Queen Bee - She's the only fertile female and mother to all the bees in the hive. Her main job is to lay lots of eggs to keep the population going. There's only one queen per hive.
Worker Bees - These are sterile female bees that do all the labor like collecting pollen and nectar, making honey, feeding the larvae, protecting the hive, and more. Workers make up the majority of bees in a colony.
Drone Bees - These are the male bees whose only role is to mate with a fertile queen. They don't have stingers and don't do any work!
Do Bees Have a Police Force?
With so many bees buzzing around, you'd think there would be chaos and anarchy within those wooden walls. However, honey bee colonies have a complex system to maintain order and productivity.
Enter the guard bees. These are older worker bees that have graduated to the important role of being security guards. Guard bees will stand watch at the entrance to the hive and inspect any bee that comes near.
Using their excellent sense of smell, the guards can identify if a bee is an intruder from another hive. If the bee passes the sniff test, they get access to the hive.
If they smell foreign, the guards will bite, wrestle, and yes - sting the intruder to death! So in a way, guard bees do "sting" each other, but only bees from outside their colony. This keeps dangerous robber bees and other intruders from invading their home sweet home.
Do Honey Bees Ever Sting Their Own?
Seeing guard bees violently attack intruders made me wonder - do they ever sting members of their own hive?
The answer is generally no. Bees have a very sophisticated recognition system involving sight, smell, and touch that enables them to differentiate colony members from outsiders.
However, there are some exceptions where bees will sting their nestmates:
The Queen Gets Rowdy
There can only be one queen in a hive. If the colony accidentally raises more than one queen, the queens will fight to the death until one remains. The workers will also try to sting and kill extra queens that could threaten the balance of power.
She's Getting Old
When a queen bee gets old, her pheromone signals to the hive weakens. If the workers sense the queen is failing, they will create special "supersedure cells" to raise a new replacement queen. Once the new queen emerges, the old one is killed by stinging.
Laying Workers Cause a Ruckus
Sometimes if a hive loses their queen and has no larvae to raise a new one, workers will start laying unfertilized eggs. This triggers chaos in the hive as other workers attack the laying workers.
Robber Bees Stage a Coup
When food is scarce, desperate bees from another colony may invade a hive to steal honey. This can spark a war as guard bees viciously sting the robber bees to repel the attack. Sometimes robber bees overwhelm the guards and take over the hive completely.
A New Queen is Born!
When a new virgin queen first emerges, she will often sting her sister queen larvae to death. This eliminates competition and cements her status as the new leader.
So in the rare cases when there is a power struggle in the hive, bees will sting their own kind. But under normal conditions, colony members live cooperatively and reserve their stingers for outside threats.
How Does the Stinging Process Work?
Now you know why bees might sting each other, but how exactly does stinging work?
When threatened, guard bees will first try biting an intruder. If that doesn't deter them, they will quickly maneuver their abdomen around and sting.
Here's a step-by-step:
The stinger detaches from the abdomen, staying lodged in the victim's skin. Ouch!
Muscles in the detached stinger continue to pump venom into the wound for up to a minute. Double ouch!
The stinger has barbs that lodge it in place so when the bee tries to fly away, it rips out their abdomen and internal organs. Not good.
Within minutes, the bee dies from the trauma. Stinging = certain death for our buzzing buddies.
So, stinging as a last resort is an act of the ultimate service to protect the greater good of the colony. That's why bees don't take this lightly and will only sting in extreme circumstances. Their loss is our pain!
Why Is Bee Venom So Painful?
Now you know stinging is no trivial matter for bees. But what makes their venom so painfully potent? Bee venom contains a cocktail of toxins including:
Melittin - This disrupts cell membranes and triggers pain receptors.
Apamin - A neurotoxin that affects the central nervous system.
Phospholipase A2 - Breaks down cell membranes and damages tissue.
Hyaluronidase - Spreads the venom through tissues.
When combined, these compounds cause immediate, intense pain and localized swelling. The venom helps repel any threat that dares to disturb the hive.
Some people may also have severe allergic reactions to bee stings that require medical attention. I have seen this firsthand, and it's not pretty!
A Beekeeper's Perspective
As someone who handles beehives regularly, I have to take precautions to avoid getting stung. Those little ladies pack a potent punch! Here are some tips I've learned as a beekeeper on how to handle hives gently:
Stay calm and move slowly to avoid alarming them
Wear protective clothing like a bee suit and veil
Use smoke to disorient their alarm pheromone signals
Avoid crushing or provoking the bees
Re-queen aggressive hives to change their attitude
Inspect hives during cool weather when bees are more docile
Even with precautions, I do get the occasional sting. It's just an occupational hazard! But a few stings here and there are worth it for the joy of beekeeping.
The plus side is bee venom therapy apparently has health benefits for those who can tolerate it. I haven't decided if I'm brave enough to try "apitherapy" yet, though!
Bees Play Nice With Friends
For creatures armed with painful venom, honey bees are surprisingly gentle by nature. They will only sting as an absolute last resort if they perceive a serious threat.
By understanding the logic behind when and why bees sting each other, we can appreciate the complex social web that keeps a hive humming harmoniously.
Except for the occasional power struggle, bees tend to play nice with colony mates. Their stinger is strictly reserved for self-defense against intruders. And isn't that a lesson we could all stand to learn?
Remember, there's more to these social insects than just making honey. They have an intricate world within those hives that rivals our own!
Thanks for tuning in to my latest buzz on the busy lives of bees! Feel free to email us with any questions on these fascinating hive creatures.
Want to Start Beekeeping?
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We have all the protective gear, tools, and hive components you need to set up your first colony safely.
We are happy to answer your questions as you embark on this rewarding hobby. Let's spread the buzz and keep our bee populations flourishing!
Betsy and Pete
Las Vegas, Nevada
About Us: The Authors
We're Betsy and Pete, passionate Las Vegas beekeepers trained by a master in the field. With hundreds of successful bee and bee swarm removals under our belts, we're not just experts; we're enthusiasts committed to the well-being of these incredible pollinators.
We manage dozens of beehives, both natural and honey-bearing at our Joshua Tree Preserve.
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Education is an ongoing journey, especially in a dynamic field such as beekeeping. That's why we continually update our knowledge base, collaborate with other experts, and stay up to date with the latest advancements in bee control methods and beekeeping practices.
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