12 replies to this topic

[hurricane]

Its a question that i always thought had a obvious answer, but after watching QI im now in doubt. That is what stings more times a bee or a wasp? i always thought that a bee can sting you once and that a wasp can continuously sting you. As once a bee stings you its stinger gets pulled out, unlike the wasp. BUT according to QI this doesn't seem to be the case.

[CrAzYbAr]

Bee should only sting you once, well that's what I have been brought up to know...They lose a lot of their body with their stinger so they can't really go about living.

This being the case, I've only been stung by wasps.............MORE than once by each of them! sods law

[stanmarsh14]

With CB here.... Wasp stinger is shaped like a dart, so can be used more than once, where a bee sting, is shaped like a barb, and rare for it to be used more than once.

Bee sting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[CrAzYbAr]

Next question what stings more......?
Bee, Wasp, or DOND:v_SPIN:

[stanmarsh14]

Next question what stings more......?
Bee, Wasp, or DOND:v_SPIN:

Depends if you are bent over or not, and if lube is used

[hurricane]

Next question what stings more......?
Bee, Wasp, or DOND:v_SPIN:

Or how about Bee3(B3)

[hurricane]

SO it was the Bee that lived happily ever after and NOT the wasp:huh:. I knew QI couldn't of been telling a lie.

[fuzion]

I thought only Honey bees could sting once due to the barbed stinger, they can't remove it after a sting so it pulls away from there body leaving the bee to die shortly afterwards.

Bee's are actually very interesting. We would be in serious peril without them.

J

[johnjohn]

i got stung by a bee 2 years go , i lent it £20 and it never paid me back

[Steveir]

I must show my mate this thread. He runs away from bees the same as wasps (like I do) and I've been trying to convince him for ages that Bees are sound.

What about Hornets?

[DialTone]

Its a question that i always thought had a obvious answer, but after watching QI im now in doubt. That is what stings more times a bee or a wasp? i always thought that a bee can sting you once and that a wasp can continuously sting you. As once a bee stings you its stinger gets pulled out, unlike the wasp. BUT according to QI this doesn't seem to be the case.

QI (as ever) is absolutely correct...

Worker Honey Bees can only sting once (esp. North American Honey Bees) when stinging mammals or birds - when stinging other species (such as other bees), they can withdraw their stings and reuse them. There are many types of bee however, and it is only the Honey Bee that has this barbed sting. Bumble Bees (as an example) do not have barbed stings, and therefore can sting many times, although as they are generally less aggressive, it's less likely that you'll be stung by one in any case.

Wasps by contrast can usually sting many times, as they do not have a barbed sting (esp. the European Wasp and Paper Wasp). Yellowjackets are thought to sting only once as their stings are barbed, but this is often not the case. They do sometimes leave their stings behind which continue to pump venom into the victim, but I'm not sure if that kills them like with bees.

DT "Wasp Hater"

[voodoomau5]

dunno but they're going under my foot