why do bees die when they sting

Bees, specifically honeybees, die after they sting because their stingers have barbs that get stuck in the skin of mammals. When a honeybee tries to pull away after stinging, it cannot retract the barbed stinger, which rips out part of its abdomen, including internal organs and muscles. This severe injury is fatal to the bee. The stinger and attached venom sac remain embedded and continue to pump venom into the wound even after the bee has flown away, enhancing the sting's effect as a defense mechanism for the colony. This self- sacrificial behavior helps protect the hive from predators. However, this fatality is unique to honeybees; other bees like bumblebees, carpenter bees, and many wasps have smooth stingers that allow them to sting multiple times without dying. Also, only a small fraction of bee species (about 0.04%) die after stinging, while most do not die because their stingers are smooth or they do not sting at all.