# Stinger
A stinger is a pointed venom-delivery organ, connected to a venom gland, that certain arthropods use to inject venom into a target; among medically significant arthropods it is found in bees, wasps, hornets, fire ants, and scorpions.[1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537235/) Although some arthropods inject venom while biting, most envenomation occurs through a stinger, and both bites and stings injure tissue in ways that can admit secondary bacterial infection.[1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537235/) The word is also applied loosely to other venom-delivery structures, such as the modified legs of centipedes, which are not stingers in the strict sense.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4379518/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | A venom-delivery organ connected to a venom gland; most arthropod envenomation occurs via a stinger rather than a bite[1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537235/) |
| Stinging arthropods | Bees, wasps, hornets, fire ants (order Hymenoptera), and scorpions (class Arachnida)[1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537235/) |
| Origin in insects | The hymenopteran sting apparatus is a modification of the egg-laying appendages; in the Aculeata the ovipositor has lost its egg-laying function and becomes the sting[3](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/sting-apparatus) |
| Honeybee special case | The barbed stinger detaches with the venom sac and musculature and continues pumping venom; most venom is injected within the first 60 seconds[4](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings.pdf) |
| Scorpions | Envenomate through stings using their tails; most stings cause self-limited pain, and fatalities are rare in the developed world[5](https://www.aafp.org/afp/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings) |
| Medical burden | Hymenoptera account for the most arthropod-related human deaths, most commonly through severe allergic reactions to envenomation[4](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings.pdf) |
| Scale of exposure | Arthropods account for up to 1 million emergency department visits annually in the United States[4](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings.pdf) |
## Anatomy and origin
In the stinging insects, the sting apparatus is a modification of the egg-laying appendages fundamental to all [Hymenoptera](https://www.edgepedia.org/hymenoptera).[3](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/sting-apparatus) Among the parasitoid wasps the [ovipositor](https://www.edgepedia.org/ovipositor) is used to paralyze hosts, while in the Aculeata, the stinging wasps, ants, and bees, the ovipositor and venom serve as a defensive weapon.[3](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/sting-apparatus) A comparative morphological analysis by Edward Laidlaw Smith, a biologist at Chico State College, traces this transition in detail: in the Aculeata the colleterial glands produce toxic materials, and the ovipositor loses its egg-laying function and becomes the sting.[6](https://academic.oup.com/aesa/article-abstract/63/1/1/10518)
The working end of a hymenopteran stinger consists of a stylet paired with two lancets that slide in a rail-groove interlocking mechanism; venom is stored in a basal bulb and transported through the hollow canal.[7](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4571097/) This reciprocating lancet action is conserved across hymenopteran insects that pierce widely different substrates, including wood, fruit, insect tissue, and mammalian skin.[8](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10359947/)
**Barbs and autotomy.** The honeybee stinger is the well-known exception to reusability. Its spiraled barbs reduce the force needed to penetrate skin but anchor the apparatus so firmly that removal and reuse are nearly impossible; instead, the stinger, venom gland, and associated musculature detach and remain at the sting site.[9](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/bee-sting) This stinger autotomy is costly to the [worker bee](https://www.edgepedia.org/worker-bee) but effective, because the detached stinger continues to penetrate the target's tissue and inject venom over a period of time.[8](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10359947/) From a clinical standpoint, a barbed stinger embedded in the skin ought to be extracted as soon as possible, since it can keep delivering venom; however, the majority of venom is discharged during the initial 60 seconds.[4](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings.pdf) The stingers of most other hymenopterans are not barbed, and the detached-apparatus mechanism is specific to honeybees.[10](https://apiinfectologia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ParasiticDiseases6thEdition2ndPLR3-24-2017wCover.pdf) The cost of autotomy is bounded by venom economics: an emptied venom gland takes 8 days or more to fully replenish, so unregulated venom release would leave an animal unable to forage or fend off predators for extended periods.[9](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/bee-sting)
## Scorpion stingers
Scorpions deliver venom through a stinger at the tip of the tail, a structure entirely separate from the insect ovipositor lineage.[5](https://www.aafp.org/afp/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings) Most scorpion stings cause self-limited pain, and fatalities are rare in the developed world.[5](https://www.aafp.org/afp/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings) Globally, however, scorpionism is treated as a health problem: of more than 2200 recognized scorpion species, a 2018 review identified 104 as medically significant, with 32 confirmed as causing severe human harm and 68 with unverifiable symptom reports.[11](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041010118303039) In the United States, *Centruroides* scorpions are the only medically relevant genus, and envenomation causes neuromuscular and autonomic dysfunction treated with analgesics, benzodiazepines, supportive care, and, in severe cases, antivenom.[4](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings.pdf)
## What stings do to people
An individual stung by an insect may experience pain and local swelling, an anaphylactic reaction, or life-threatening toxicity.[12](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28411932/) Among arthropods, Hymenoptera, the group that includes bees, wasps, hornets, and fire ants, are responsible for the greatest number of human deaths, usually resulting from anaphylactic responses to their venom.[4](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings.pdf) For people with a history of a systemic reaction to an insect sting, the risk of a recurrent systemic reaction is approximately 50%; evaluation with skin testing and, if positive, venom immunotherapy can decrease that risk to less than 3%.[5](https://www.aafp.org/afp/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings)
**Prevention** measures for bites and stings include avoiding high-risk areas, covering exposed skin, wearing permethrin-impregnated clothing, and applying repellents; DEET at 20% to 50% is the most studied and widely recommended insect repellent.[4](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings.pdf)
## Structures that resemble stingers but are not
Centipedes are often described as stinging, but their venom organs are forcipules, the first pair of walking legs modified into venom-bearing pincer-like appendages, not a stinger connected to a tail or abdomen.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4379518/) [Centipede venom](https://www.edgepedia.org/centipede-venom) contains histamine, serotonin, various enzymes, and other components, and centipede stings, while painful, cannot generally be regarded as life-threatening.[1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537235/) • [2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4379518/)
## References
1. [Insect Bites, StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537235/)
2. [Undheim, Fry, and King (2015). Centipede Venom: Recent Discoveries and Current State of Knowledge. Toxins.](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4379518/)
3. [Sting Apparatus, ScienceDirect Topics overview](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/sting-apparatus)
4. [Herness, Snyder, and Newman (2022). Arthropod Bites and Stings. American Family Physician.](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings.pdf)
5. [Arthropod Bites and Stings, AAFP (2022)](https://www.aafp.org/afp/2022/0800/arthropod-bites-stings)
6. [Smith, E. L. (1970). Evolutionary Morphology of the External Insect Genitalia. 2. Hymenoptera. Annals of the Entomological Society of America.](https://academic.oup.com/aesa/article-abstract/63/1/1/10518)
7. [Structures, properties, and functions of the stings of honey bees and paper wasps: a comparative study (PMC)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4571097/)
8. [Functional anatomy of the worker honeybee stinger (Apis mellifera) (PMC)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10359947/)
9. [Bee Sting, ScienceDirect Topics overview](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/bee-sting)
10. [Venomous Bites, Stings, and Poisoning (Parasitic Diseases, arthropods chapter PDF)](https://apiinfectologia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ParasiticDiseases6thEdition2ndPLR3-24-2017wCover.pdf)
11. [A global accounting of medically significant scorpions. Toxicon (2018).](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041010118303039)
12. [Arthropod Envenomation in North America (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28411932/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Invertebrates › Arthropods › General and other arthropods › Arthropods and human relevance*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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