Biology of a Honey Bee Stinger (BioE80 Spr2015)
May 23, 2015 • 2:28 PM UTC
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bentyeh
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Exploring the Engineering Quad, we were intrigued by honey bees hovering about the orchids and other flowers. With no intention of getting stung, we kept our distance. But neither of us had been stung before, so what exactly were we afraid of? What makes the honey bee’s sting so scary…and so cool?!
With the help of Professor Manu, we caught a bee and, um, squished it. Two fluids effused out with the stinger: a thick, yellow bodily fluid, and a small amount of clear fluid – probably the apitoxin (poison). Interestingly, the stinger also seemed to be attached to some internal organs. Again with the help of Dr. Manu, we extracted the stinger and taped it onto a slide.
My first reaction was, the stinger is so sharp! Upon closer examination, it seems like the stinger is actually hollow, which allows venom to be injected into the victim. (Amazing how forms meets function!) One can also just make out the rough barbed lancets along the main stinger shaft meant to help the stinger penetrate the victim and keep it inside. Another interesting feature is the loop-like structure, which was initially not present; it appeared only after I had played around with the slide and foldscope for a while. I am not sure what it is, but perhaps it only develops when sufficiently agitated and may also help keep the stinger lodged inside the victim. Unfortunately, because the stinger is attached to some internal organs, when the honey bee leaves a victim it has stung, it suffers a large abdominal rupture that kills the bee.
Posted by Benjamin Yeh
– Partner: Niharika Bedekar
With the help of Professor Manu, we caught a bee and, um, squished it. Two fluids effused out with the stinger: a thick, yellow bodily fluid, and a small amount of clear fluid – probably the apitoxin (poison). Interestingly, the stinger also seemed to be attached to some internal organs. Again with the help of Dr. Manu, we extracted the stinger and taped it onto a slide.
My first reaction was, the stinger is so sharp! Upon closer examination, it seems like the stinger is actually hollow, which allows venom to be injected into the victim. (Amazing how forms meets function!) One can also just make out the rough barbed lancets along the main stinger shaft meant to help the stinger penetrate the victim and keep it inside. Another interesting feature is the loop-like structure, which was initially not present; it appeared only after I had played around with the slide and foldscope for a while. I am not sure what it is, but perhaps it only develops when sufficiently agitated and may also help keep the stinger lodged inside the victim. Unfortunately, because the stinger is attached to some internal organs, when the honey bee leaves a victim it has stung, it suffers a large abdominal rupture that kills the bee.
Posted by Benjamin Yeh
– Partner: Niharika Bedekar
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