Robert Arenz, age 9, of San Diego, Calif., for his question:

DO YELLOW JACKETS DIE AFTER THEY STING?

    A frightened little honeybee can sting you only once.  This is because her stinger is very stiff and the muscles around it are very fragile. When she stabs and tries to pull out her stinger, her small body is torn apart and she dies. The tough old yellow jacket does not have this problem. He can stab and pull out his stinger without tearing himself. So he can sting and live to sting again and again.