Bees are widely considered to be dangerous creatures, most especially due to their habit of stinging humans.
The pain inflicted each time a bee stings a person is quite severe.
Bees do not have venom or poison in them but they have a sting that is very painful and can cause skin irritation. Like ants and other similar insects, bees inject venom whenever they sting. This venom is not necessarily fatal.
Owing to the immense pain and swelling people received from bee stings, the insect is believed to contain some level of toxins they normally inject into someone during an attack.
But on the contrary, experts have confidently opined that bees are not poisonous creatures.
Although a single sting from one can be incredibly painful, the effects it has on humans is nothing compared to what happens when a person gets stung by a scorpion or bitten by a wild spider.
Unlike scorpions or spiders, bees may not be fatally harmful.
Considering this fact, it is reasonable to say that bees aren’t poisonous but their stings can cause some significant damage.
Are bees poisonous or venomous?
It would be relatively wrong to say that bees are poisonous.
They aren’t poisonous, they are venomous. You must understand the contrast between the two terms, venomous and poisonous.
Like ants and other similar insects, bees inject venom whenever they sting. This venom is not necessarily fatal.
However, it would have a serious effect on the skin.
Unlike deadly snakes or spiders, the venom injected by bees can’t penetrate the body system and cause death, except the victim is allergic to bee stings.
Anyone who’s allergic to bee stings could be fatally affected if stung by bees.
Having understood this, you should know by now that bees are not poisonous, but venomous.
Related: Here is an article I wrote on how cold can bees survive?
Can bees have venom?
Bees absolutely have venom.
Every animal on the planet has a unique tactic of defending itself against predators or any form of external harm.
As for bees, these insects defend themselves by injecting their venom whenever they sting.
The venom of bees is contained in their stinger.
When someone gets stung, the effect of the venom causes severe pain and makes the affected skin swollen.
Also, the pain inflicted by this stinger can last for an entire day and even beyond.
Can you die from bee venom?
Bee venom can’t possibly kill a person, as long as that person is not allergic to bee stings. Bee sting allergy is very rare.
It’s quite uncommon to find a person who’s allergic to bee venom.
This allergy is dangerous. Anyone who’s allergic to bee venom must be treated immediately after a sting.
If the victim with allergy is left untreated, it could lead to death or a very critical condition.
Provided you are normal without any allergy to the bee sting, you can’t be fatally hurt by the venom.
The only way one can be severely affected by bee venom is if one is simultaneously stung hundreds of times by different bees.
Also here is an article I wrote on will bees swarm without a queen?
Do bees inject poison?
Bees inject venom, which can be alternatively considered as a poison by some people.
There is never a time when a bee stings and venom is not injected into the victim’s skin.
The bee always injects this venom since it’s the only way it can defend itself against any form of attack.
Unlike most aggressive insects, bees can only inject poison by stinging.
The only reason for this is that the stinger is what carries the venom. Bees that don’t sting can’t inject venom because they have no stinger.
More importantly, if you happen to get stung by a bee, ensure you get a remedy to ease the pain and reduce the swollen. If you don’t do this, the condition could get surprisingly worse.
What happens if a queen bee stings you?
Just like every other bee, a queen bee has a venomous stinger. Every queen bee is capable of using the stinger when need be.
When a queen bee sting you, you are definitely going to experience the same pain and discomfort you’d get from other bee stings.
It’s recommended to quickly pull out the venomous stinger if you’re stung.
But surprisingly, Queen bees are not quick to attack humans. They only attack after they must have repeatedly faced threats from humans.
Unlike worker bees that don’t hesitate to sting, queen bees are patient most times, analyzing the situation before them and deciding if it’s right to sting.
What happens if the bee stinger is not removed?
It is always advised to pull out the bee stinger in order for you not to suffer serious damage to your skin.
The venom a bee injects into your body is contained in the stinger.
This simply means that if you are able to pull out the stinger as soon as the bee stings you, there is every chance of you suffering less damage.
Whenever you get stung by a bee, the stinger injected into your skin will begin to gradually sink in.
If you don’t pull it out, it will be buried in your skin eventually. And when this happens, the bee venom will have its full effect on you.
If you happen to get attack by bees, try as much as you can to not be nervous.
Anxiety will not enable you to quickly remove the stinger. Ensure you are calm enough to gently pull out the stinger before it releases all the venom into your skin.
Do bees sting for no reason?
Bees won’t sting anyone unnecessarily. Bees are only compelled to sting whenever they feel threatened.
If you happen to find a colony of bees, ensure you move far from them as possible. If they sense your presence, they could attack.
Moreover, bees can be compelled to sting when their activities are disrupted.
When a colony of bees is busy, under no circumstance should a person disrupt its activities. If this happens, the bees could get really aggressive and attack by stinging.
Does bee venom stay in your body forever?
Bee venom is not as toxic as most people presume.
Even though it has an immediate impact on a person’s skin, it still isn’t a deadly poison. Unlike snake and spider venom, bee venom doesn’t go beyond causing pain and swelling.
It doesn’t damage any vital organ in your body, which could lead to death.
And amazingly, bee venom will not remain in your body forever.
Just as you’ve learned earlier in this article, the effect of bee venom doesn’t usually last for more than a day.
On rare occasions, the pain inflicted by the venom may last for only a few days.
However, when this pain goes away, so does the venom. Bee venom can only remain in one’s body for a long time and cause serious harm if one is allergic to it.
People who are allergic to bee venom are to be quite cautious around the insects. Just one sting could be fatal.
Conclusion
Bees are amazing creatures and they are beneficial to humans, most especially due to the honey they produce. Notwithstanding, bees aren’t as sweet as the honey they make.
These insects are cause some serious terror when they switch to attack mode.
It’s important you take caution whenever you’re around bees, son you don’t get severely injured.
Even beekeepers suffer multiple bee stings, let alone someone who isn’t an expert at keeping bees.
