Do they instinctively “know” they will die by stinging a human?
In: Biology
Bees are eusocial, sort of a hive mind. They don’t really care about themselves as individuals, only about the good of the hive.
No. Insects and arachnids are little more than self-replicating machines. With the amount of body space they have, there really isn’t room for the ability to comprehend the consequences of their actions. And nor is there a need.
Fun fact, the male Bees (drones) can’t sting because the equivalent part of their body becomes their penis. So that means bees are stinging you with their clitoris.
I dont think bees are aware that they will die from stinging a human.
I’ve read that bees are actually able to remove their stingers from other animals like insects. They just get stuck/removed from stinging mammals etc. because our skin is elastic.
Believe it or not, but “science fucking rocks” doesnt know everything, and some things will remain unknowable until humans no longer exist. What a bee “knows” is at least currently unknown and any answer to the contrary is just a charlatan trying to keep up appearances with “science” like a preacher getting asked a tough question. The fact that you even asked this question shows that you dont really understand what “aware” means, or you have a naive understanding of what people know or can known. Its understandable though, just explaining.
Bees never thought they would die by stinging, because that almost never happened to them when they sting other animals except humans. Usually it takes bees 20 to 30 mins to separate their stinger safely but we humans pluck them out as a reaction to pain, and this action is what separates bee’s lower abdomen from its body (it’s supposed to separate only its stinger tip).
I want to start by stating I am by no means an expert on this topic. But the other day I had what I can only say is a similar experience. Bees think by instinct, as did I. Bees don’t want to kill themselves just because something came up. I didn’t want to have to poop in a plastic Walmart bag in the back of a van because there were no port-a-potties. When it comes to fight or flight there’s only so much time and not many answers. You do what you gotta do and that’s just life.
Richard Dawkins’ book, The Selfish Gene, discusses the mathematics of natural selection of eusocial insects.
Because the bees’ genes’ only hope of success is through the queen, the bees serve the queen’s offspring (the hive). In fact, the bahaviour that leads to the death of a bee, to the benefit of the hive, is caused by a gene (which is seeking its own success).
It is possible to hack this by killing the queen and installing a new one that is more distantly related to the workers (and which is more favourable to commercial beekeeping) but the gene is usually successful overall.
I would say yes they are aware… But they’re not thinking of themselves when they do strike…
If a bee stings you and you don’t swatt it away it will try to pull it’s stinger out without ripping it’s butt off there’s a youtube video of a beekeeper showing this
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