Study Reveals How Detached Honeybee Stingers Pump Venom

If you've ever been stung by a honeybee, you might know they leave their stinger embedded in the skin. Researchers at Macquarie University filmed the first video showing a detached honeybee stinger pumping venom. Even after the bee flies away, the stinger continues injecting venom for over a minute. Losing the stinger usually kills the bee due to internal damage, so they sting only when necessary. The stinger acts as an autonomous micro-pump to defend the hive.

Unlike most venomous animals that use a venom sac squeezed by muscles, honeybees have a venom sac that empties into a pumping chamber containing valves. These valves pump venom, but their exact mechanism was unknown until now. The study filmed these valves in action for the first time.