{"id":11424,"date":"2022-06-23T01:58:42","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T06:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=11424"},"modified":"2022-06-26T03:47:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-26T08:47:30","slug":"what-happens-when-a-bumble-bee-stings-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/what-happens-when-a-bumble-bee-stings-you\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens When A Bumble Bee Stings You?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bumble bees are large and rather scary looking<\/a>, but is there any reason to be afraid of them? What happens when a bumble bee stings you? Do they even sting in the first place? What does a bumble bee sting look like, and how do you treat it? Keep reading! In this article, we\u2019ll answer all of these questions and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Bumble Bees Sting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Do<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bumble bees do sting, but they try to avoid doing so if possible. They are not naturally aggressive; their stinger is nothing more than a defense method for if they feel threatened.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bumble bees are generally calm, laid-back pollinators who prefer to spend their time buzzing from flower to flower. They don\u2019t go looking for trouble, but if predators or unobservant humans come to them, they are prepared to defend themselves and make their presence known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stinger is actually a reproductive organ called the ovipositor<\/a>; it secretes venom to paralyze any invertebrate the bee may hope to lay eggs in. But, since only bumble bee queens lay eggs, the female worker bees instead use their stingers for defensive purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Many Times Can a Bumble Bee Sting?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You might know that honey bees can only sting once; they have barbed stingers that tend to pull free from their body after they sting, fatally damaging their internal organs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bumble bees are designed differently from honey bees<\/a>; their stingers are smooth so they don\u2019t get caught in the skin of the person or animal they\u2019re stinging. The stinger punctures the skin then slides right back out when the bee retracts it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, bumble bees can sting again and again throughout their lives. Using their stinger doesn\u2019t hurt them as it does with honey bees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens to a Bumble Bee After it Stings You?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After a bumble bee stings, it will pull its stinger out of the victim and fly off. It will most likely be completely uninjured.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the bee is injured at all, its injuries will have come not from the process of stinging, but from the victim\u2019s reaction to the sting. For example, if you are stung by a bumble bee, you may try to slap it to get it off of you; if the bee is unable to get away in time, it may be injured or even killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, though, bumble bees don\u2019t sustain any negative effects from the stinging action itself. They can sting repeatedly throughout their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does a Bumble Bee Sting Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bumble bee stings are rarely deadly, though they can cause potentially lethal anaphylactic reactions in people who are highly allergic to their venom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you aren\u2019t allergic, you\u2019ll likely experience minor, localized symptoms if you are stung by a bumble bee. Such stings tend to cause the following symptoms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n