A doctor has taken to social media to explain why bees die when they sting you – and the real reason probably much more horrific than you may ever have realised
Many of us dread the sharp pain of a bee sting, but did you know that for the bee, it’s a fatal act?
TikToker @footdocdana has revealed the grim reality behind why bees die after stinging someone in a video captioned: “Did you know this?”. While some were aware bees don’t survive the sting, a lot of people were unaware of the gruesome details.
In her video, the doctor asks, “Did you know that when a honey bee stings a human it actually gets stuck for a while and can’t leave?”
She goes on to explain that the bee’s stinger is barbed, which means it lodges into the skin and cannot be easily pulled out. This spells disaster for the bee because as it eventually frees itself, “its insides get ripped out because the stinger stays in the skin”.
The video concludes: “This results in the bee losing its internal organs and it dies” Buddha Bee Apiary weighs in on the matter, stating: “They [bees] usually only sting if they feel threatened. Remember, most honeybees are not aggressive. They are defensive. A honeybee will die when it stings, which means it only stings as a last resort.”
Unlike bees, wasps can sting multiple times without dying since their stingers aren’t barbed like those of bees. The revelation left viewers in shock, with comments ranging from “But why? ” to a simple “Wow”.
If you’ve suffered a bee sting, the Mayo Clinic advises: “Apply hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to ease redness, itching or swelling.”
“If itching or swelling is bothersome, take an oral antihistamine that contains diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or chlorpheniramine. Avoid scratching the sting area. This will worsen itching and swelling and increase your risk of infection.”