Every queen bee has a stinger, and is fully capable of using it. Queen bees, however, almost never sting people; they reserve their stinging for other queen bees.
At Wildflower Meadows, we hold, mark and cage tens of thousands of queens each year. As uncomfortable as it must be for the queens to endure this, they never take it out on our team by stinging us. Instead, our queens seem to maintain a peaceful and graceful quality. They don’t even try to sting us. Our colleagues and friends from other queen producing companies report the same; queens, whatever their genetics, simply don’t sting humans. In the miniscule times where it has been reported that a queen actually has stung a person, we have heard that the sting is not as painful to a person as that of a worker bee.
This could be that because, unlike a worker bee, a queen bee’s stinger is smooth and not barbed. Given that a queen bee’s stinger is smooth, this means that she can theoretically sting multiple times without losing her stinger and dying in the process. This is unlike what happens to a worker bee, which loses her stinger and dies in the process of stinging.
So, what is the point of the queen bee’s stinger? Her stinger is reserved as a weapon to use against other queens. Because queen honeybees rarely tolerate other queen bees within their midst, they need a way to attack them with force. When a queen encounters another queen, the result is often a fight-to-the-death. In such a fight, a queen’s stinger serves as her primary weapon. When a queen bee attacks another queen, it is her stinger that delivers the deathblow.
Queens not only sting other active queens, but they also – believe it or not – sting the developing queen pupae inside of queen cells! Queens are so hostile towards each other that a mature queen will poke her stinger right through the outside casing of a mature queen cell in order to kill the undeveloped future queen inside the cell. Thank goodness that we beekeepers are not the recipients of this kind of wrath!
FAQs
Our colleagues and friends from other queen producing companies report the same; queens, whatever their genetics, simply don't sting humans. In the miniscule times where it has been reported that a queen actually has stung a person, we have heard that the sting is not as painful to a person as that of a worker bee.
How many times can a queen honey bee sting? ›
Honey bees are known to have barbed stingers and will sting only once and then die. While this is true of most honey bees, the queen honey bee usually has a smooth stinger and can sting multiple times. Honey bees are usually very docile. These bees are often handled by beekeepers without gloves.
Do bees sting when foraging? ›
In general, bees sting to protect their hive and seldom sting when they are foraging unless they feel threatened (like being swatted at or stepped on).
Are queen bees more aggressive? ›
As too her being dangerous, she is not aggressive to any other creature other than an invading queen into her area and hive. Most of them aren't more dangerous than the worker bees as queen bees spend nearly all of their time inside the hive constantly walking from brood comb to brood comb laying eggs.
How many stings can a queen bee do? ›
The queen can sting as many times as she wants to. She does not have a barbed stinger. It is not withdrawn from her body like a worker bee, and she can go on stinging until she is successful.
What happens if a queen bee dies in your house? ›
In the case of bees, when the queen bee's pheromones are gone, the workers begin a process of emergency queen rearing. They start building queen-size rearing chambers for about 10 to 20 young female larvae, one of which will be the next queen.
How long does a queen bee sting last? ›
Severe pain or burning at the site lasts 1 to 2 hours. Normal swelling from venom can increase for 48 hours after the sting. The redness can last 3 days.
Is there a king bee? ›
There is no “king.” Drones are expendable. Their sole purpose in life is to mate with the queen. If they die, the queen will just lay more unfertilized eggs, which will hatch into a new generation of drones.
What happens when a new queen bee is born? ›
Inside these larger cells, potential queen bees are fed royal jelly and over time a new potential queen is born. After that, it's a matter of survival of the fittest: after emerging from her cell, a new queen bee will instinctively set out to kill her sisters – her competition for the throne.
What to do if you find a queen bee? ›
It is always best to leave a queen bee alone as she may have eggs or larvae depending on her return. Queen bees are quite resilient and can cope with cold weather well. You may offer her some sugar water but only if she remains in the same location for more than 30-45 minutes.
A dying bee may have tattered wings and can be seen writhing on the ground. A tired bee, on the other hand, may appear slower and more lethargic but will still have intact wings and respond to external stimuli.
Which bees Cannot sting? ›
Meliponines are not the only type of bee incapable of stinging: all male bees and many female bees of several other families, such as Andrenidae and Megachilidae (tribe Dioxyini), also cannot sting. Some stingless bees have powerful mandibles and can inflict painful bites.
How do bee farmers not get stung? ›
You may have seen some beekeepers work without any protection and experience no stings. This is because they work carefully to avoid crushing bees and setting off their alarm pheromones. They may also have built up experience with a particular hive, and thus they're aware of how those bees generally behave.
What attracts a bee to sting you? ›
If you look or smell like a flower, you are more likely to attract the attention of a bee. They love the smell of some sunscreens, shampoos, perfumes and aftershaves. They also love flowery prints and shiny jewelry and buckles. That's why beekeepers wear white, without accessories.
Are bees more aggressive without a queen? ›
They've lost their queen
They intuitively know their hive could be in danger – and while they're working hard to create a new queen, they may be extra-defensive and protective. This could mean a period of two or three weeks where bees seem agitated, aggressive and sensitive to interference.
What happens when bees don't accept the queen? ›
When a new queen comes into a hive and the bees are not ready to accept her, they will often try to kill her or remove her. If the queen is in a cage, the other bees will often grab and bite the cage and try to sting the queen.
How do you know if a bee has a queen? ›
Distinctive features of a Queen Bee
Look for: A long, narrow abdomen with a pointed end – other bees have a rounded abdomen. Shorter wings – while workers' wings reach almost to the end of their bodies, the queen's wings only reach halfway down her abdomen.
Why are queen bees attracted to me? ›
If you look or smell like a flower, you are more likely to attract the attention of a bee. They love the smell of some sunscreens, shampoos, perfumes and aftershaves. They also love flowery prints and shiny jewelry and buckles.
