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Question:
My fourth grade class would like to know why do bees die after they sting someone? Does this happen to all types of bees?


Replies:
Tim,
Bees, wasps, and ants all belong to the order _Hymenoptera_ and are the only insects with "stingers" which are really the ovipositors of adult females. Some species have stingers that are barbed and remain in the wound. I've heard that honey bees are the only ones that die after stinging you, but I could not confirm this in any reference.

Jade Hawk

Just to clarify a bit..... When the stinger or ovipositor is left, the insect has torn off a part of its abdomen and cannot survive the damage.

Ric


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