Venomous Stings
Venomous Stings
Packed inside an insect no bigger than a jellybean is a venom strong enough to cause intense pain in humans—and occasionally death, in people who are allergic to it. This venom belongs to the honeybee.
A female honeybee has an abdomen tipped with a sting. The bee’s vivid pattern of black and yellow stripes warns birds and other predators that she is armed and dangerous.
Nearly all bees in a hive are females, which take care of a queen bee that lays all the hive’s eggs. If their hive is threatened, these worker bees use their stings to repel the intruder.
A honeybee’s stinger is attached to a pouch of venom in its abdomen. The bee stings by jabbing its stinger into a predator’s skin. Sawlike parts on the stinger dig their way into the flesh. When the bee flies away, part of its abdomen is yanked off in the process. The bee soon dies, but the venom-filled pouch remains behind, pumping venom through the firmly embedded stinger and into its victim.
The bee also gives off scent signals when it stings. These scent signals are called pheromones. Other worker bees that sense the pheromone become alarmed. They rush to the defense of their hive and queen.
Honeybees do not use their venom to kill prey because they feed on pollen and nectar made by flowers. Their venom is used only for defense. Wasps and many ants, however, use their venom for hunting as well as defending themselves.
Like bees, many wasps make loud buzzing sounds as they fly, and many of them wear warning colors. Both the sounds and the colors signal “danger” to birds, mammals, and many other predators. Wasps sting to protect themselves. Species of wasps that nest in groups also sting to defend their nests.
Unlike a bee’s sting, a wasp’s sting does not get stuck in a predator’s flesh. A wasp can sting repeatedly, with each sting causing great pain. The red velvet ant, a kind of wasp with black and orange-red markings, is also known as a “cow killer.” That’s because people say the pain from its sting is strong enough to kill a cow.
Just as with bees, only female wasps have stings. This is because the sting evolved from a body part called an ovipositor, which is used for laying eggs. A male wasp does not lay eggs, so it lacks an ovipositor.
Predatory wasps use their venom to kill prey ranging from tiny insects to spiders. This prey is chewed up and fed to their larvae. Yellowjackets are predatory wasps. They have bold stripes of black and yellow, white, or red, depending on the species. Their prey includes insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars that harm crops. A few species of yellowjacket are scavengers—animals that eat prey that has been killed by other animals. These are the yellowjackets that are nuisances at picnics.
Many kinds of ants also have stings for killing other insects. Some species, such as army ants found in tropical forests of Central and South America, feed only on other insects. Other species use their venom mainly for defense. This venom can be extremely powerful. A group of army ants can kill a snake, though they do not eat it.
Stinging ants first bite a predator so that they can hang on to it with their jaws. Then they jab their stings into the predator’s skin. Ants that do not have stings also grip skin with their jaws. Then they spray the wound with a blast of venom from their abdomens.
Another animal with a venomous sting is the scorpion. Scorpions are in a group of animals called arachnids. This group also includes spiders and ticks. There are about 1,500 species of scorpions, and they are found nearly worldwide. These nocturnal animals use venom for both hunting and defense.
Scorpions eat insects, snails, pillbugs, and spiders. Some species eat lizards and mice, too. A scorpion can often overpower its prey by grabbing it in its claws. If the prey struggles, the scorpion curls its tail over its back and stings it.
Most scorpions’ stings are only mildly painful to humans, but about 25 species have venom strong enough to kill a person. Besides using their venom to kill prey, scorpions also will sting to defend themselves against predators, such as birds, rats, lizards, centipedes, and other scorpions. Yet, a scorpion’s primary defense is camouflage. Tan, brown, and black coloring helps scorpions hide in their habitats.
Packed inside an insect no bigger than a jellybean is a venom strong enough to cause intense pain in humans—and occasionally death, in people who are allergic to it. This venom belongs to the honeybee.
A female honeybee has an abdomen tipped with a sting. The bee’s vivid pattern of black and yellow stripes warns birds and other predators that she is armed and dangerous.
Nearly all bees in a hive are females, which take care of a queen bee that lays all the hive’s eggs. If their hive is threatened, these worker bees use their stings to repel the intruder.
A honeybee’s stinger is attached to a pouch of venom in its abdomen. The bee stings by jabbing its stinger into a predator’s skin. Sawlike parts on the stinger dig their way into the flesh. When the bee flies away, part of its abdomen is yanked off in the process. The bee soon dies, but the venom-filled pouch remains behind, pumping venom through the firmly embedded stinger and into its victim.
The bee also gives off scent signals when it stings. These scent signals are called pheromones. Other worker bees that sense the pheromone become alarmed. They rush to the defense of their hive and queen.
Honeybees do not use their venom to kill prey because they feed on pollen and nectar made by flowers. Their venom is used only for defense. Wasps and many ants, however, use their venom for hunting as well as defending themselves.
Like bees, many wasps make loud buzzing sounds as they fly, and many of them wear warning colors. Both the sounds and the colors signal “danger” to birds, mammals, and many other predators. Wasps sting to protect themselves. Species of wasps that nest in groups also sting to defend their nests.
Unlike a bee’s sting, a wasp’s sting does not get stuck in a predator’s flesh. A wasp can sting repeatedly, with each sting causing great pain. The red velvet ant, a kind of wasp with black and orange-red markings, is also known as a “cow killer.” That’s because people say the pain from its sting is strong enough to kill a cow.
Just as with bees, only female wasps have stings. This is because the sting evolved from a body part called an ovipositor, which is used for laying eggs. A male wasp does not lay eggs, so it lacks an ovipositor.
Predatory wasps use their venom to kill prey ranging from tiny insects to spiders. This prey is chewed up and fed to their larvae. Yellowjackets are predatory wasps. They have bold stripes of black and yellow, white, or red, depending on the species. Their prey includes insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars that harm crops. A few species of yellowjacket are scavengers—animals that eat prey that has been killed by other animals. These are the yellowjackets that are nuisances at picnics.
Many kinds of ants also have stings for killing other insects. Some species, such as army ants found in tropical forests of Central and South America, feed only on other insects. Other species use their venom mainly for defense. This venom can be extremely powerful. A group of army ants can kill a snake, though they do not eat it.
Stinging ants first bite a predator so that they can hang on to it with their jaws. Then they jab their stings into the predator’s skin. Ants that do not have stings also grip skin with their jaws. Then they spray the wound with a blast of venom from their abdomens.
Another animal with a venomous sting is the scorpion. Scorpions are in a group of animals called arachnids. This group also includes spiders and ticks. There are about 1,500 species of scorpions, and they are found nearly worldwide. These nocturnal animals use venom for both hunting and defense.
Scorpions eat insects, snails, pillbugs, and spiders. Some species eat lizards and mice, too. A scorpion can often overpower its prey by grabbing it in its claws. If the prey struggles, the scorpion curls its tail over its back and stings it.
Most scorpions’ stings are only mildly painful to humans, but about 25 species have venom strong enough to kill a person. Besides using their venom to kill prey, scorpions also will sting to defend themselves against predators, such as birds, rats, lizards, centipedes, and other scorpions. Yet, a scorpion’s primary defense is camouflage. Tan, brown, and black coloring helps scorpions hide in their habitats.
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