Sting

A sting is a sharp organ possessed by some invertebrates and used to deliver venom. Some of the more well know invertebrates that possess a sting are bees, wasps, ants and scorpions.

In social bees, wasps and ants the workers' sting is a modified ovipositor. Honey bees have a barbed sting and this barb causes the sting to pull free from the bee's abdomen when stinging a mammal. When stinging other invertebrates the barb does not cause the sting to pull free from the bee and the bee lives to sting again.

Wasps and other species of bee do not possess barbs on their stings and can therefore sting mammals repeatedly.

In some humans bee/wasp stings can cause a state of anaphylaxis where the body undergoes an acute reaction to the venom delivered by the sting. In some cases anaphylaxis can lead to death if not treated quickly.

A close up photograph of a bee sting embedded in the protective clothing of a bee keeper.
Photograph by SuperManu licensed under Creative Commons.

Other names for (or types of) Sting include:

• Stinger

Related terms

• Aculeate
• Africanised honey bees
• Apoidea
• Arachnid
• Eusocial
• Formicidae
• Honey bee
• Ovipositor
• Scorpion
• Venom

Related groups of terms

• Invertebrate body structure

Related pages on this web site

• Aculeate hymenoptera
• Ants
• Army Ants
• Bees
• Bees, Wasps and Ants - Order Hymenoptera
• Scorpion caresheet

See other words beginning with S