Bumble Bee Bite, or the 3 B's

[Emile.Wilson]

humm, some sites show the matibles and some dont, so who knows. But it was a bumble bee, and I havent any experience with them, my dog catches them and eats them, so I dont get to catch them to fee to the mantis. Just happens, she was sitting at the screen door wanting out at that time, figures dont it? Also I didn't think a sting would bleed?Thanks Phil, I might do that :lol: But the er is used to me~

When i have been stung in the past, after removing the stinger I sometimes would bleed.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Right you are in saying that bees sting in defence. But I'll have to pull you up on a bee's stinger. Not all bees have barbed stings. In fact, Becky, you could have been stung by a queen bee. Female bees destined for the throne have curled, smooth stingers, which they selfishly use to kill her opposition. Interesting, huh? And there can be multiple queens to one hive I'm sure Olga knows more than me, so I'll stop here & we can pick this up at a more appropriate hour.

Haha, James! You've been Googling again, haven't you? The queen does use her sting for that one, sinister purppose. In a queenless hive, there will be a number of "queen" cells. When the first virgin queen is about to emerge, she 'pipes." When more queens try to emerge, though, their piping causes the first born queen to sting them through the wax covering of their cells. Gives a whole new dimension to "sibling rivalry," dunnit? Still, to be fair, she kills off all her daughters as well.

I'm not sure where you got the idea of multiple queens in one hive, though. The only time I've seen that is on those big hives that contain several, seperated colonies. Only one queen per colony, though.

Oh, and for those who were wondering if a bee has mandibles, the answer is yes.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Yea. like Phil says, an they hurt!

 

[jameslongo]

Haha, James! You've been Googling again, haven't you? The queen does use her sting for that one, sinister purppose. In a queenless hive, there will be a number of "queen" cells. When the first virgin queen is about to emerge, she 'pipes." When more queens try to emerge, though, their piping causes the first born queen to sting them through the wax covering of their cells. Gives a whole new dimension to "sibling rivalry," dunnit? Still, to be fair, she kills off all her daughters as well. I'm not sure where you got the idea of multiple queens in one hive, though. The only time I've seen that is on those big hives that contain several, seperated colonies. Only one queen per colony, though.

Actually I just remembered that little fact from last year's Molecular Biology & Genetics. Olga & I had to do an assignment about the selflessness/selfishness of the hive. One of our professors was 'The Bee Man.'

Oh, and for those who were wondering if a bee has mandibles, the answer is yes.

Especially bumble-bees.

Hibiscusmile: I personally haven't had a bee sting bleed. Now that I think about it, I've only ever been stung once when I was a young & kind boy, trying to rescue a bee from drowning in the backyard pool. That kind little boy died that day :lol: Considering that a bumble bee is much bigger than a honey bee & a sting acts kinda like a knife (or icepick?), bleeding from a sting ain't outta the question.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Well I hope the bee died that day too! I have been stung a few times, but my dad use to get it all the time, must like our blood line :lol: he use to get bit from wasps and usually on his shins. Poor daddy!