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Edit: I’m wrong - ignore this please. Bumblebees don’t sting, but they can bite, as I discovered after many years of picking them up when I saw them on the gro

Edit: I’m wrong - ignore this please. Bumblebees don’t sting, but they can bite, as I discovered after many years of picking them up when I saw them on the ground in a vulnerable spot.

gnabgib 7mo ago
They certainly do: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_sting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_sting > A bee sting is the wound and pain caused by the stinger of a female bee puncturing skin. Bee stings differ from insect bites, with the venom of stinging insects having considerable chemical variation. (..) Bumblebee venom appears to be chemically and antigenically related to honeybee venom. Wasps both sting and bite (welt size is a good indicator)
- taneq 7mo ago
  Huh. I also have grown up thinking bumblebees don’t sting, but: > Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee So they can sting, they just don’t want to. Further proof, if any were needed, that bumblebees are Best Bees. :)
  - RhysU 7mo ago
    As a child, I caught a bumblebee in my hand because I didn't think it could sting. Those stings hurt.
  - ahartmetz 7mo ago
    IME, the nonviolence of their behavior matches their cute looks. They do not sting if you don't go out of your way to mess with them.
lll-o-lll 7mo ago
TIL that bumblebees actually can sting. Not only can they sting, they can sting repeatedly (unlike the honey bee). They just choose not to. Genteel bees.
layla5alive 7mo ago
They are pretty docile so won't be as aggressive towards stinging, but certainly can sting. You might be thinking of honey bees - which also can and do sting, but which die if they sting, so they're heavily disincentivized to sting.
sethammons 7mo ago
The addition of a single word makes your statement true: male. Males can't, females can. https://web.archive.org/web/20071230082748/http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbeesting.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20071230082748/http://www.straig...

Edit: I’m wrong - ignore this please. Bumblebees don’t sting, but they can bite, as I discovered after many years of picking them up when I saw them on the ground in a vulnerable spot.

gnabgib 7mo ago

They certainly do: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_sting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_sting > A bee sting is the wound and pain caused by the stinger of a female bee puncturing skin. Bee stings differ from insect bites, with the venom of stinging insects having considerable chemical variation. (..) Bumblebee venom appears to be chemically and antigenically related to honeybee venom. Wasps both sting and bite (welt size is a good indicator)

taneq 7mo ago
Huh. I also have grown up thinking bumblebees don’t sting, but: > Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee So they can sting, they just don’t want to. Further proof, if any were needed, that bumblebees are Best Bees. :)
- RhysU 7mo ago
  As a child, I caught a bumblebee in my hand because I didn't think it could sting. Those stings hurt.
- ahartmetz 7mo ago
  IME, the nonviolence of their behavior matches their cute looks. They do not sting if you don't go out of your way to mess with them.

lll-o-lll 7mo ago

TIL that bumblebees actually can sting. Not only can they sting, they can sting repeatedly (unlike the honey bee). They just choose not to. Genteel bees.

layla5alive 7mo ago

They are pretty docile so won't be as aggressive towards stinging, but certainly can sting. You might be thinking of honey bees - which also can and do sting, but which die if they sting, so they're heavily disincentivized to sting.

sethammons 7mo ago

The addition of a single word makes your statement true: male. Males can't, females can. https://web.archive.org/web/20071230082748/http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbeesting.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20071230082748/http://www.straig...