A bee's sting can hurt pretty badly, and researchers in Australia have filmed a close-up view of what happens to a bee's stinger once it enters its target in a new study.
“If you've ever been stung by a bee, you'll know it's a very painful process, but now we’ve been able to identify all the working parts packed into the tiny stinger,” the study's lead author, Fiorella Ramirez-Esquivel of Macquarie University, said in anews release.
Whenever a worker honey bee injects its stinger into its target, it flies away and leaves the stinger behind. Even after the bee is gone, its venom remains, and its stinger keeps injecting venom despite being disconnected from the bee, the news release explains.
High-speed video captured by researchers at the University
of New South Wales shows exactly what happens when the stinger gets stuck in someone's skin. It's the first time researchers have directly captured the specific mechanism of the detached stinger pumping venom.
To capture the video, researchers had bees sting clear gel that simulated human skin. A study on the process was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Watch video of bee stinger injecting venom
How does the stinger work?
Scientists have known since 1910 that a bee's stinger continues to pump venom into a victim using valves, according to Ramirez-Esquivel. But the study gives a new view into how it works.
Valves left behind in the stinger will "inflate like a parachute" and apply downward pressure to pump the venom, according to the news release on the research. The valves work together to maintain a seal, ensuring the venom is injected while minimizing backflow.
"This is a remarkable strategy to pump fluid since maintaining a seal is vital to effectively transmit pressure," said Ramirez-Esquivel.
Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ouch! New video shows what happens when a bee stings
