Eli5 how did bees evolve to be a stinger that kills them when used?

Question

Eli5 how did bees evolve to be a stinger that kills them when used?

In: 2

Answer 1

Adding to the above: stingers in bees and wasps are modified ovipositors (egg laying organs.) The insects evolved long tubes to lay eggs, and with the addition of venom making capabilities, those tubes became stingers.

For some species like ichneumon wasps, the ovipositors became useful to lay eggs deep in trees, so they evolved to become crazy long. For others like parasitoid wasps, the ovipositors evolved to be long and strong enough to paralyze but not kill the target species the wasps prey on (cicadas, spiders, etc.)

For bees, short stingers with a barb proved evolutionarily best to protect the hive- note that the wasps mentioned above are not social wasps and don’t have hives.