HOW DOES A STINGER GET UNDER YOUR SKIN?

A bee’s stinger is about 1.5 millimeters long. It’s a modified version of the ovipositor (egg depositor) of other insects, therefore it isn’t present in males. The stinger consists of three hollow parts: the stylet and two barbed lancets. To sting, the bee inserts its stylet as perpendicular to the target surface as possible. It then uses the force of its legs and abdomen as well as the motion of the backward-facing raked barbs to achieve maximum penetration. During insertion the barbs on the lancets catch the skin at multiple points, creating a gap between the tips that exposes the central canal of the stinger, through which the venom will flow.