The Insane Anatomy of the Honey Bee Stinger

Discover the fascinating complexity of honeybee stingers under an electron microscope, and learn how they work to defend the hive. This video explores the intricate structure and function of a bee's stinger, comparing diagrams to actual footage and high-resolution images. Uncover the details of the venom delivery system and how it enables bees to protect their colony. Although honeybees are gentle creatures, their stingers pack a powerful punch that can cause intense pain or even be deadly in rare cases. Get ready to appreciate one of nature's most amazing weapons!

Special thanks to the scientists who advised on this animation:

Corrections:
In the video, I say Mel means honey in Latin, and claim that's why the fear of bees is called "Melissophobia." While Mel does mean honey in Latin, I'm told the term "melissophobia" actually came from the Greek word "mélissa," meaning bee. It's likely that Latin and Greek have similiar words because they both come from a shared Indo-European language ancestor.

Sources:
(Book, 1910, Free) THE ANATOMY OF THE HONEY BEE | Snodgrass, R. E.

(Paper, 2015, Free) Structures, properties, and functions of the stings of honey bees and paper wasps: a comparative study

(Paper, 2011, Free) Sting microsculpture in the digger wasp Bembix rostrata (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae)

Keywords: Bee Stinger, Honeybee, Electron Microscope, Venom, Structure, Function

#stinger #honeybee #anatomy

[cortster]

The craziest part is how this is a modified reproductive organ.

[thaiandi]

I am a biology teacher and backyard beekeeper. I have been imaging stingers with a light microscope to show how wonderful they are. This description has added so much more richness. What wonder our world has for us to discover. Thank you for leading us deeper.

[Ninja_Reborn]

Excellent presentation, it's incredible how complex the mechanism behind a simple bee sting is. Thank you for your work Jon, you have earned my support!

[dogyoutubedog]

Thank you for the guy who sting himself just for the video

[alexdian]

I was amazed at how easily
I understood the concept and mechanisms of the stinger with the animated diagram and colour-coded electron-microscope photo.

I wondered briefly why we don’t see more of it around, then I realised that it must take forever to make. But I guess once it is made it can teach people forever… thanks for making such an important teaching tool

[ofcv]

This has to be one of the most under valued videos on YT. It is great for all ages; educational with great narration & color. Perfect tempo and time for careful study AND drifting off to sleep. Amazing

[flowerstreetfarmbees]

Great stuff! As a beekeeper(stung twice today!) and a teacher, I appreciate this on several levels.

[MrBendybruce]

This video randomly reminded me of a nature program I watched a few years ago. A Bee colony was under attack by giant wasps, and it wasn't going well for the bees, until the wasps started entering the hive. At that point the bees covered the invading wasps and then literally cooked them to death, by generating a massive amount of heat through vibration. EDIT Not Wasps, Giant Hornets

[Danoz_die_wreckt]

This is incredible. My jaw literally dropped when I saw your diagram. Thankyou for making your incredible shows. Time will tell with your talent.

[bravoman]

I could not be prouder to have such an incredibly brilliant brother. This explanation is so cool and makes perfect sense once it’s broken down like this. Your ability to explain in easy to digest bits is a gift very few possess.

[ThestDukeDroklar]

What an amazing piece of bio-mechanical engineering. It even has a tongue n groove setup to act as a seal and a guide. FASCINATING!
Edit: Yes, you should be proud. These are the best animations to clearly show how the stinger works that I have ever seen... subscribed.

[ubahfly]

Blown away by this presentation. Instant subscribe.

[abcdefvxyz]

This is incredible. Both the mechanism and the diagram. Very good work!

[wayne]

You are seriously underrated man, this should have millions of views!

[zeemgeem]

I love how much the connections between the seperate parts of the stinger resemble common solutions used in things we assemble ourselves to keep moving parts together. I have to wonder if we were inspired by, or just happened to come to the same solutions nature did?

[kayydub]

I got stung in the face and I was in shock at how such a little thing could cause such immediate and intense pain.

[RainofLight]

You have no idea how educational all of this is, it is a great service to the people to have things explained to them through means other than words

[MarkJoseph-vvpj]

My word. Watching the video from beginning to end, this is the most comprehensive and concise explanation of how a female honey bee's stinger works. The author understands the details without losing sight of the big picture. Great video.

[danielduvana]

When I learned about why only female bees have stingers I was so amazed. It’s so cool and makes so much sense from an evolution perspective. Love it!

[MrKino]

Man, you are an inspiration, im a PhD student in Immunology, But if I were doing my PhD in Zoology or similar field, I would be gladly recommending your videos for my students