In a bee colony, the queen bee is the largest. Its average size is about 2 cm, which is about twice the size of a traditional worker bee. Because of their size (compared to others), many people ask the question, “Are Queen bee stings more painful?” Here’s what you need to know.
Because of your professional role, it is questionable whether you will be sting by a queen bee. If anything stings you, it has to be worker bees. However, it is actually known that queen bee stings are not that severe. This is because their stingers are different from those of other worker bees.
Surprisingly, queen bee stings are not as painful as everyone thinks. In fact, it is the least painful of the bee colonies. Want to learn more about bee stings? Keep reading…
Are Bee Stings More Painful?
As you know, different bees play different roles in the colony. The main difference is between worker bee and queen bee , but individual worker bees also have specialized roles. The point is, you might think the queen’s stinger is stronger than other colonies.
Queen bees don’t need to sting. They rarely leave the hive. Their main job is to lay eggs, while protecting the hive and queen bee is the job of the rest of the colony. So they are the ones with stronger stingers; resisting anything that tries to get into the hive.
The only reason queens have stingers is to fend off competing queens. Usually not in a dramatic duel, but before they develop from the cell.
So the answer is NO, queen bee stings don’t hurt anymore because queen bees normally never leave the hive. Therefore, there is no reason for the queen bee to develop a powerful stinger.
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All in all, being stung by a queen bee is not impossible. Sometimes, when the colony moves to a new home, they leave the hive, and of course the queen must also move. They’re still not particularly inclined to stab you; they’d rather leave it to the rest of the colony.
However, if you are stung by a queen bee, you may notice that she will sting you multiple times. Again, this is because the queen bee has no barbs. Common worker bees usually lose their stingers after stinging because their barbs get stuck in the flesh and snap off when the bee pulls out.
Queen bees have smooth spines that allow them to sting multiple times. But again, they really don’t intend to do that. Solitary, wandering queens looking for a new hive are not uncommon. If the bee isn’t alone, it’s likely to hire the rest of the colony to sting.
Which Bee Sting Hurts The Most?
Within a colony, only two types of bees can sting. These are worker bees and queen bees. Because of this, there was no significant difference in which bee had the most painful sting.
However, worker bee stings are known to be slightly painful. This is because they are equipped with stinging stingers. Because worker bees have this type of stinger, it gets stuck in your skin and has a hard time getting out. The longer the spike is in your skin, the more likely it is to cause pain.
Queen needles don’t hurt because they don’t have a stinger, one of the main reasons. Instead, it’s smooth, which means it’s easy to inject into your body and easier to expel. As a result, the pain doesn’t build up like a worker bee stings you.
The main purpose of the different stingers comes down to their job roles within the hive. Worker bees need sharper, more ferocious stingers to protect themselves when outside the hive. The queen is stationed in the hive mainly because she needs to lay eggs.
As you can see, in a colony, only two species of bees actually sting. If you don’t annoy the bees, your chances of getting stung are very low. However, if you do, you may want to try getting stung in other areas. Wondering where bee stings are worst? Check out the following:
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Where Is The Most Painful Place To Be Stung By A Bee?
No doubt, after being stung by a bee, you might think twice about getting close to a bee. The pain is not unbearable, but uncomfortable. But our bodies have higher and higher pain thresholds. Because of this, people have been testing different stings around their bodies (do you believe it?).
A man named Michael Smith tested 25 different parts of the body to determine the most painful areas. The test itself was conducted in 2014, and Smith tested 25 different body parts. During the test, he rated the pain between 1 and 10 and started the stings process after test sting on his forearm.
After being stung 38 plus times, Smith decided that the worst place to be stung was the nostril, he gave this a pain rating of 9 out of 10. The runners up for the worst place to be stung by a bee were the penis shaft (7.3) and the upper lip (8.7). Once all the data was collected, he had an average pain rating of 2.3 for all the stings.
So, when you have bees around you, try to cover your face. Everywhere else, you’ll be just fine.
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So What’s The Point Of The Queen Bee’s Stinger?
Her stinger are kept as a weapon against other queens. Because queen bees rarely tolerate other queens in their midst, they need a way to forcibly attack them. When one queen meets another, the result is often a life-and-death struggle. In such battles, the Queen’s spikes are her primary weapon. When a queen bee attacks another queen bee, it is her stinger that deals the fatal blow.
Not only do queens sting other active queens, but believe it or not, they also sting the developing queen pupae in the queen cells! The queens are so hostile to each other that the adult queen will pass her stinger directly through the outer shell of the adult queen’s cell to kill the undeveloped future queen inside the cell. Thank God we beekeepers are not the target of this wrath!
