04/01/2026
What does science actually say about bees stinging more than once?
Honey bees (worker bees)
🐝A worker honey bee can sting only once when it comes to humans and other mammals.
🐝Honey bees have a barbed stinger (think tiny fishhook).
🐝When they sting mammals (humans, bears, etc.), the barbs become lodged in elastic skin.
🐝When the bee pulls away, the stinger, venom sac, muscles, and part of the abdomen tear away, which is fatal.
🐝The detached stinger continues to pump venom for several seconds after the bee flies off.
Result: the worker honey bee dies shortly after stinging.
Important exception (where confusion comes from)
Honey bees can sting other insects and survive
Why?
🐝Insects have a hard exoskeleton, not elastic skin.
🐝The barbs don’t get stuck.
🐝The stinger can be withdrawn, allowing the bee to live.
Queens
🐝Queen honey bees have a smoother stinger.
🐝They can sting more than once.
🐝This is used almost exclusively against other queens, not people.
🐝Queens rarely sting humans.
Bottom line (science-backed)
🐝 Worker honey bees sting once on mammals and then die
🐝Worker honey bees may sting insects and survive
🐝Queens can sting more than once, but rarely and for specific reasons
🐝Wasps and hornets can sting multiple times
❌ Claims that worker honey bees can sting humans repeatedly are false
Bee Haven 2025
A beekeeper can certainly have their own belief system around beekeeping — however, biology and anatomy don’t change based on opinion.
This isn’t about being right or wrong — it’s about understanding how our bees actually work 🐝💛