The question of whether stinging insects perish following venom delivery is a common query regarding hymenopteran behavior. Honeybees, distinguished by a barbed stinger, experience a fatal rupture of abdominal organs when attempting to withdraw the embedded apparatus from a victim’s skin. This process of self-evisceration invariably leads to the insect’s demise.
Understanding this distinction is important for comprehending the varying defensive strategies employed by different insect species. The survival of social wasp colonies depends upon the health and continued activity of its individual members. A system of defense that results in the death of the defending individual would quickly deplete colony resources. Therefore, wasp have evolved a different defensive strategy to the bees.