Honeybees are remarkable creatures. They produce delicious honey, construct intricate beehives, and pollinate plants with their fuzzy legs and bodies. But why do these innocent-looking creatures evolve to perish after delivering a sting to predators? What makes self-defense so terminal for them? Discover the reasons behind this phenomenon.

Timeline:

00:00: Why do bees die after stinging?

00:32: The science of the honeybee stinger

01:22: Anatomy of the stinger: Barbed blades & venom injection

02:10: Why barbs make removal impossible

02:53: Sting autonomy: How the stinger rips off

03:48: Post-sting survival

05:16: Evolution of the stinger

06:13: Other self-sacrificing insects

07:35: Honeybees vs. wasps

08:49: Why honeybees evolved a single-use stinger

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Produced by Andres Salazar
Hosting and art by Danielle Dufault
Editing by Jason Byrne
Visual Research by Jan Aliño

Examining the nature of the beast.