Webbed insects have a kind of "weapon" for defense - a sting with a poisonous substance. In bees, it is distinguished by a pointed shape and is part of the body, located at the end of the abdomen. You can find out more about the bee sting, its structure and functions below.
What is this organ and what are its dimensions?
A sting in a bee is an organ ranging from 2 to 4.5 mm, which it introduces into the body of its offender, injecting poison, which has a painful effect and a burning sensation. Interestingly, the poison in the sting continues to be released even after the bite.
The tip has two parts:
- Stationary... It consists of:
- sled;
- processes of the sled;
- oblong plates;
- palps.
- Movable... It consists of:
- triangular plate;
- stilettos;
- square plates;
- muscle;
- poisonous gland (small and large);
- reservoir of the poisonous gland.
The sting of a bee is necessary for defense, but it can only sting once, after which it dies. The fact is that when struck, the sting remains under the skin of the offender, and without it the bee cannot exist, since it is part of its body.
After being bitten, the bee flies away from the offender with an open wound and dies.
Where is?
The sting is located behind the abdomen of the insect and is considered an altered ovipositor. The abdomen of the bee can bend easily, so it is not difficult for it to plunge the sting into the victim. In addition, it has a point on which there are jagged edges that can only be seen through a microscope. They make it much more difficult to remove the sting from the body of the offender.
Functions of the sting and features of the poison
Initially, the bees did not have a sting, but as a result of evolution, the ovipositor in the 11-12 segments of the abdomen turned into this organ and became an instrument for protecting honey. Only females have it, so drones do not sting. Thus, the function of the sting is to inject poison into the body of enemies in order to stop them and protect the hive. He can be attacked by:
- wasps;
- hornets;
- other people's bee families;
- ants;
- spiders;
- mice;
- rats;
- lizards;
- hedgehogs;
- the Bears.
Thanks to the sting, worker bees can attack in case of danger and protect themselves. The poison released from it has a pleasant aroma and is a colorless liquid. This is a secret produced in 2 venom glands - large and small. In the body of the bee, it is contained in a special bag.
When studying the chemical composition of the poison, 13 amino acids and various compounds were identified, but its basis is melitin - a protein substance or peptide of bee venom. It has properties that can remove bacteria.
The functioning of the venom-producing gland depends on the age of the bee. If she just got out of the cell, then the bag contains a minimum amount of poison. After a week of age, the reservoir is almost completely filled with a poisonous substance. The maximum amount of poison is collected in a bag for 15 days. When the bee becomes a "watchman", around day 19, the pouch is completely filled with poison.
In bees that emerged from the cell in the fall, the activity of the venom-producing gland begins much later (only on day 14) and ends on day 20.
It should be noted that the queen bee uses the sting not only for its own protection, but also for laying eggs. This is one of the main functions of the uterus, because it must continue to give birth. To strengthen the egg-laying, she puts the sting in a perpendicular position. In a queen bee, it is longer than that of a normal bee.
How does a bee sting?
A bee has to sting to protect its hive. She sets a goal not to kill, but to scare off the offender. The "older" bees, which have reached 19 days of age, guard the hive especially well. The bee performs its actions in stages:
- Stage I... First, the insect sits on its enemy, that is, it comes into contact with its skin surface. Then it decides to sting it. The entire device for the bite is in a special bag-shaped chamber-case. When the bee is calm, the tip of the sting is hidden in it. There is a narrow slit in the seventh abdominal part. At the time of the bite, muscles begin to act on the camera and lift it up. The abdomen begins to descend and bend, downward and slightly backward movements are made. Thus, the abdomen bends, moving the piercing part towards the chamber opening. The sharp part begins to look out through the gap formed, although the case will be slightly raised due to the muscles.
- Stage II... On the stylets of the tip of the sting, there are notches, of which there are 10 pieces. They are in the form of triangles and angles, as it were, directed backwards like a fish hook. They enter well, but interfere with the exit of the sting. The queen bee has only 4 notches, so when stinging, it is not at all difficult for her to remove it back, since she faces a more important task - it is the extension of the genus, and not the protection of the hive. When stung, 2 stylets move out of the abdomen due to the presence of a slide. They are closed by several plates, but when stung they open, so the sled extends slightly from the abdomen, and the stilettos of the point slide easily over them. After the bee plunges the sting, the next stage begins.
- Stage III... If a bee has sunk a sting about one third of its length, it can no longer do anything. The separation of the sting from her body occurs when she tries to take off, and the serrations on the sting prevent her from doing this. The bee has to pull it out, so the insides come out with it, as well as the last ganglion of the nerve chain.
- Stage IV. Although the bee flew away, the sting is already in the body of the victim, releasing poisonous substances. This lasts for 20-30 minutes. It vibrates, releasing more and more poison, which enters the bloodstream. At the same time, the sting pierces deeper and deeper into the skin, so it is very important to remove it as soon as possible. In addition, pheromones begin to be released into the air within a radius of 15-30 m. They attract other congeners, which can quickly fly in and attack.
A bee cannot sting when its goiter is clogged with honey during honey harvest. Beekeepers do not smoke directly into the hive for nothing, because the smoke is a signal for the bee to fill the crop with honey.
Differences from wasp sting
The sting of a bee differs from that of a wasp:
- During a bite, wasps inject a sting into the soft body of their enemy, which is possible due to the presence of notches. On the sting there is a stylet of hard chitin in the form of a saw, inside which there are 2 lancets. The sting has a sharp edge, making it easier to inject into the body, and the glands are filled with poison.
- Unlike a bee, after a wasp stings, it does not die and can even sting several more times. The sting of a wasp has much less barbs, so when they are pulled back from the body, they do not really cling. In addition, there is no knot at its tip, so the wasp easily removes the sting.
- Individuals sting in different ways. The wasp belongs to aggressive insects, so it can bite or simply bite with its jaws. She does not need a reason - just a wave of the hand or a scent that is unpleasant for an insect is enough. Its bite is very painful, often causing swelling and inflammation, especially if it was done by a large insect. The bee only stings when it needs to protect the hive.
- After a wasp sting, there will be no sting in the wound, and a bee - it will stick out like a splinter. A bee sting is less painful than a wasp sting.
Life span of a bee after being bitten
After a bee stings, it can live for only a few hours. When a person bites, it dies due to the fact that it is impossible to pull the sting back out of the elastic skin. When a bee stings an insect that has a hard chitinous layer, it can pull the sting back, so it remains alive.
If a bee is stung by another insect, then it immediately dies.
What to do if a bee stung?
The sting of one bee is not dangerous to human life, since the amount of the injected poison is only 0.1-0.3 mg. But if a swarm attacks, then its level can rise to 0.25 g, and this dose is considered lethal. In addition, much depends on the place of the sting. It is especially difficult to tolerate on the face, in the area of the lips, eyes, and neck. People die not so much from insect poison as from suffocation when the neck or tongue swells.
In any case, the sting must be removed from the resulting wound faster, since the poison will be released through it even after the bite. In this case, the person will experience burning pain. If the right measures are not taken, edema and hyperemia will occur at the site of the bite. In severe cases, the wound may become inflamed.
Many beekeepers, who are often stung, barely respond to the sting as they develop temporary immunity. A person can suffer 10 to 15 bee stings if they do it regularly.
Allergy-free bite relief
If there is no allergy, then symptoms of slight swelling and itching will appear. This suggests that the bite is not life threatening. To provide first aid, use:
- ice or cold water;
- baking soda;
- antihistamine;
- anesthetic drug.
Adhere to the following sequence of actions:
- Remove the sting as soon as possible. If it sticks out on the surface of the skin, then use a nail, grab it with your fingers. Tweezers should not be used, as more poison may enter when pulling. You can't even squeeze it out!
- The resulting wound is washed under running cold water using liquid soap to disinfect the area.
- They are taking antihistamines. For example:
- Cetirizine;
- Tavegil;
- Suprastin;
- Fenistil;
- Zyrtec;
- Erius.
- The wound is treated with an anti-allergic cream. You can apply a damp cloth soaked in baking soda solution to this area. The solution is prepared at the rate of 1 tsp. for 1 glass of water. If there is no soda, then you can replace it with hydrogen peroxide, a weak solution of potassium permanganate, salt water, 0.25% ammonia, 6% vinegar. The bite site is not combed!
- Cold is applied to the wound to relieve pain symptoms and the rapid spread of poison. The cold prevents the appearance of edema. This can be ice or a towel dipped in cold water.
- For severe pain, pain relievers are taken:
- Aspirin;
- Ibuprofen;
- Nurofen.
- Drink a lot of fluids.
Help from a bite with an allergy
A bee sting cannot be fatal for a person, however, if he is allergic to bee venom, then everything is significantly complicated. Unfortunately, many people learn about allergies only after a bee sting.
Insect venom is a mixture of protein compounds. Some people react to them with the occurrence of allergies, leading to serious consequences in the form of Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock.
Allergy symptoms after a bite are as follows:
- severe swelling;
- pressing feeling in the chest area;
- difficulty breathing;
- the presence of red itchy dots all over the body, hives;
- headache;
- weakness;
- nausea and vomiting;
- high temperature;
- convulsions;
- pain in the lumbar region and joints;
- loss of consciousness.
With such symptoms, an ambulance should be called urgently.
The steps taken to provide first aid are as follows:
- Use an epinephrine pen, if the victim has one. Usually, allergy sufferers always have it with them.
- Unbutton the collar and loosen the tie to make it easier for the victim to breathe and the clothing does not squeeze.
- Lay the victim, and then cover him and overlay with heating pads with warm water.
- Give 25 drops of Cordiamine to support the heart.
- If there is bleeding from the nose and vomiting, turn the victim onto his side.
- Lower the bite site below the level of the heart so that the poison moves slowly through the blood.
- Urgently call emergency medical assistance.
After assistance, the swelling can persist for 1-5 days, and on the face for about a week.
Prevention from a bite
Increased caution should be exercised by people allergic to bee venom. It will not be superfluous to observe the following precautions:
- Wear a protective suit or long-sleeved closed clothing. Although insects can sting through the fabric, in some cases it can still protect.
- Do not use perfume or wear bright clothes both when working in the apiary and when going outdoors. It attracts insects.
- Do not come close to wasps and wild bees nests, apiary without a protective suit.
- While walking, you should pay attention to the presence of a large accumulation of stinging insects. Better to leave such places on time.
- If there are such nests in the country, it is better to call specialists and get rid of them.
Bees are peaceful insects that only sting in exceptional cases. It is better to bypass their large congestion, be careful and not provoke them. In case of a bite, first aid should be provided and doctors should be called.