How do bees sting? BioE 80 Spring 2015
May 27, 2015 • 1:21 AM UTC
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niharikabedekar
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Disclaimer: I wouldn’t say that I’m scared of bees. Rather, I’m wary of them: having never been stung by one before, I have absolutely no idea about what its effects will be. So, spring days are always a little bit worrisome.
Last Friday was no exception. I cautiously took a seat next to a row of purple flowers and prepared to examine a petal under the microscope, but was intrigued by Professor Manu’s activities: he was busy holding a bee and pulling its stinger out. I was amazed, and was struck by the perfection of this situation: why not look at something that has brought me so much anxiety? I was excited to look closer to determine how the bee manages to poison its victims.
So, we took the stinger, and placed it on a slide, where we were amazed by the results. For such a minuscule object, the stinger is surprisingly menacing. It has a barb, which only increases its potency. In addition, the stinger has a curved, hollow part which started off black but became empty and hollow by the end of our experiments. After consulting with Manu, I learned that it is through this opening that the venom is injected: as the venom seeped out, the hole returned to its hollow state.
Last Friday was no exception. I cautiously took a seat next to a row of purple flowers and prepared to examine a petal under the microscope, but was intrigued by Professor Manu’s activities: he was busy holding a bee and pulling its stinger out. I was amazed, and was struck by the perfection of this situation: why not look at something that has brought me so much anxiety? I was excited to look closer to determine how the bee manages to poison its victims.
So, we took the stinger, and placed it on a slide, where we were amazed by the results. For such a minuscule object, the stinger is surprisingly menacing. It has a barb, which only increases its potency. In addition, the stinger has a curved, hollow part which started off black but became empty and hollow by the end of our experiments. After consulting with Manu, I learned that it is through this opening that the venom is injected: as the venom seeped out, the hole returned to its hollow state.
Unfortunately, learning more about the stinger only made me more wary of its potential effects. However, it has also sparked an interest in learning about the anatomy of other animals’ stingers. First stop: black widows!
Posted by: Niharika Bedekar
Partner: Benjamin Yeh
Posted by: Niharika Bedekar
Partner: Benjamin Yeh
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