![]() ![]() The body responds to stings by liberating fluid from the blood to flush venom components from the area. Even up to a few days later, the tissue may still be sensitive to the touch. The result is a very uncomfortable sensation, which begins as a sharp pain that lasts a few minutes and then becomes a dull ache. The major chemical responsible for this is melittin it stimulates the nerve endings of pain receptors in the skin. Stingers are effective weapons because they deliver a venom that causes pain when injected into the skin. They are more likely to defend a greater area around their nest, and they respond faster and in greater numbers than the European honey bee. However, Africanized honey bees are less predictable and more defensive than European honey bees. ![]() Neither is likely to sting when gathering nectar and pollen from flowers, but both will sting in defense if provoked.Īn individual Africanized bee can sting only once and has the same venom as the European honey bee. The two types of bees look the same, and their behavior is similar in many respects. The Africanized honey bee is closely related to the European honey bee, which is used in agriculture for crop pollination and honey production. For more information on the behavior, biology, and management of this insect, see Pest Notes: Yellowjackets and Other Social Wasps. ![]() Some, such as the yellowjacket, are much more likely to attack than others. In addition, foraging members of the colony also will sting if they are disturbed or injured as they go about their activities. If the nest is disturbed, these individuals will defend it vigorously. Social hymenopterans-including yellowjackets, honey bees, bumble bees, and fire ants-have individuals in the colony whose task it is to defend the nest. Most hymenopterans live solitary lives, and their behavior is more likely to be flight than fight. The stinger is a modified egg-laying apparatus, so only females can sting. Stinging insects are limited to the order Hymenoptera, which includes wasps, bees, and ants. ![]()
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