Arthropods
The main type of construction of stings is a sharp organ of offense or defense, especially when connected with a venom gland, and adapted to inflict a wound by piercing; as the caudal sting of a scorpion. The wasp has a very painful sting, and will sting if it feels threatened.
Stings are usually located at the rear of the animal. Animals with stings include bees, wasps (including hornets), scorpions and some groups of ants.
Unlike most other stings, honey bee workers' stings (a modified ovipositor as in other stinging Hymenoptera) are strongly barbed, and lodge in the flesh of mammals upon use, tearing free from the honey bee's body, leading to the bee's death within minutes. The sting has its own ganglion and it continues to saw into the target's flesh and release venom for several minutes. This trait is of obvious disadvantage to the individual, but protects the colony, comprising many sterile workers who are all sisters, from attacks by large animals; the shared genes of the colony are more likely to be passed on if it is defended vigorously. The barbs ensure that a honey bee's attack is only suicidal if the attacker is a relatively large animal; bees can sting other insects repeatedly and without dying. The sting of nearly all other bees and other stinged organisms is not barbed and can be used to sting mammals repeatedly; the barbs on the stingers of yellowjacket wasps and the Mexican honey wasp) are so small that they do not cause the sting apparatus to pull free.
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