Sharon Jacky, aged 13, of Spokane,Washington for her question:

Why does a bee die when it stings?

The pretty little bee has one weapon ‑ the sharp, poisonous sting in her tail. Sad to say, her sting rarely saves her from her enemies. Almost always she dies after using it. However, her sting may save many other bees. One sting can teach a bird, an animal or a person that bees can hurt. News gets around and we tend to leave the other bees strictly alone.

A bee's sting is a very complicated weapon. It is a sharp syringe needle in two parts. It is meant to pierce deep into the flesh and stay fixed until the poison is squirted through it. It has little barbs or spikes to hold it firm. These barbs slope from the point.

This is fine for piercing and holding. It is such barbs that make it hard for the little bee to draw her sting out again. She pulls so hard that her lower body is torn and injured, Sometimes she has to rip herself away and leave her sting behind. Almost always the effort of withdrawing her sting is too much for the little bee and she dies'