Does a queen bee ever sting?

Queen bees are special in more ways than one and their stings serve a very different purpose to that of the workers'.


Asked by: Anonymous

Yes. Queen bees have a sting that isn’t barbed and they can sting repeatedly without dying. When a virgin queen emerges from her brood cell, she’ll immediately seek out other virgin queens and try to kill them by stinging them. When only one is left, she’ll mate and begin laying eggs. Mated queens don’t leave the laying chamber and don’t sting again. 

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