ID#: 8005
Caption:
Under a magnification of 320X, this scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicted a ventral view of the distal tip a Western honeybee’s, Apis mellifera, stinger apparatus. What is revealed is the concave, tip of the stinger sheath, within which runs the barbed, paired lancets and the accompanying stylet. It is between these structures that the poison flows through a tube-like tunnel, once these stinger components penetrate the skin. Structurally, the stinger is actually a modified ovipositor, or egg laying organ, and therefore, only genetically-female bees possess a stinger. Once the bee has stung a victim, the bee dies, for when it flies off, the barbed configuration of the stinger causes it to become inextricably attached to the skin, and the bee’s organs, associated with the stinger, are torn loose from the insect’s abdomen.
High Resolution: Click here for hi-resolution image (5.97 MB)
Content Provider(s): CDC/ Janice Haney Carr; Connie Flowers; and Pamela Munn of the International Bee Research Association, IBRA
Creation Date: 2005
Photo Credit: Janice Haney Carr
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Copyright Restrictions: Permission is not required for public domain images, however, these images are provided by CDC and are available for personal, professional, and educational use with appropriate attribution. Redistribution must credit CDC and, where known, the individual photographer, and identify the CDC website as the free source. For additional terms see Use of Agency Materials | Other | CDC