Are bees aware about the consequences of using their stinger on a large target? Consequently, are they aware that stinging smaller animals won’t cause them to die?

Question

Do they instinctively “know” they will die by stinging a human?

In: Biology

Answer 1

I think they do. I’ve done some risky things to bees in a bee hive and not been stung. I’ve watched bees warn me. I’ve watched them crawl around trying to escape a threatening situation. They behave very much like I would expect an animal to behave as though it knew the stakes were ultimately high.

But when the danger pheromones hit, all bets are off.

I wouldn’t try any comparative tests with wasps in a wasp nest.