Have you ever been stung by a honeybee? Man, it's the worst. It burns for hours and then swells up

leaving a big red welt for days. But as bad as it feels, it's actually the bee that gets the

raw end of this deal. Because a few minutes after it stung you, it dies. Wait, why would an animal

have a self-defense mechanism that's more

deadly to it than the thing it's attacking? That doesn't make sense. Well, there's actually a lot more

to this kamikaze defense mechanism than meets the eye. So put on some thick gloves and get

ice ready, because we're about to take a pretty painful

look into the secrets of bee stings.

You're listening. You're listening to be amazed.

Let's start this by explaining why bees die after they sting humans.

I'll then get into even more juicy facts about bees that you never knew, first things first.

You might not want to admit it, but if you've ever been stung by a bee, it was probably your fault.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but in general, bees only sting humans if we approach their

hives or threaten them with aggressive or reckless behavior. If a bee is hunting for pollen,

they'll leave us alone, unless we handle them roughly or step on them. Now, you may have heard

that all bees die after stinging. Well, actually, only the honeybee does.

When any bee stings you, it simply inserts its stinger into your skin. In the case of honeybees,

however, their stinger is made of two barbed lancets, giving it rougher edges that can act as tiny hooks.

Because of these lancets, when a honeybee inserts its stinger into the skin, it can't pull

the stinger back out.

And that doesn't stop the honeybee from trying, though.

The second they try to take off, not only as their stinger pulled out, but the muscles, nerves,

...