Lucy ltowello, age 11, of Philadelphia, Penna., for her question:

Does a bee die after it stings?

The hard working little bee is not a very sturdy insect. In the summer, when the busy season is at its peak, she lives only about six weeks. And, chances are, she will not live this long if she has to use her sting.

The bee has a soft, furry abdomen. The sting is a hard thorn fixed in the end of this soft abdomen and controlled by strong muscles. When frightened or angry, the little insect digs her sting into her enemy. The more scared or angry she is, the deeper she digs. Poison, is infected as the sting pierces.

Now the bee wishes to withdraw her sting and fly home. But almost always it is dug in too deep. She pulls and pulls, tearing her fragile abdomen in her panic. Often the sting is wrenched out and left behind. And usually the abdomen is so badly torn that the little bee flies away only to die.