Wasp FAQs

How Many Times Can A Wasp Sting You?

We all know that a bee can only sting once, then it is dead! This differs from a wasp which can sting multiple times and does not die from it.

This is because wasps have a very smooth stinger. Bees, on the other hand, have a small barb on the stinger. This ensures that the stinger gets stuck in the skin after the sting and tears off part of the animal's abdomen. As such the bee is seriously injured and dies. Wasps, on the other hand, can easily pull their stinger out of the skin and stab it back in several times.

A wasp can sting multiple times. But how often is multiple?

There isn't actually a limit to the number of times a wasp can sting. In fact, wasps can sting indefinitely according to Dr. Melanie von Orlow from the Federal Entomology Committee (BAG Hymenoptera). However, generally speaking a wasp want sting multiple times because after the first stab they feel resistance. It's also important to know that the wasp does not have to give off venom every time it stings

A wasp stinger is so small that it can hardly be seen with the naked eye. It is just 2.6 millimeters long. Inside it is hollow, so the poison reaches the tip of the spike and from there into the skin. Wasps need their venomous sting to paralyze other insects when hunting. People only attack them when they are held, crushed, or touched too hard.

Incidentally, only females can sting wasps and bees, males have no stings at all. For most people, a wasp sting is just bothersome and painful. Sometimes the place where the wasp has stuck its stinger into the skin swells and turns red. However, out of 100 people in Germany, around five to ten have a wasp allergy. For these people with allergies, a sting can be life-threatening.