> emergency room staff tend to notice things like stingers, and remove them from victims. 

That reminds me of an interesting case:

Corneal bee sting with retained stinger

Corneal bee and wasp stings, with or without retained stingers, are rarely reported environmental injuries that have the potential for ophthalmic insult ranging from minor to severe and permanent. Removal of a retained stinger can be difficult, especially if a barbed stinger is involved, and operative intervention may be required. Attempts at stinger retrieval by nonmedical personnel and ophthalmologists alike have resulted in retained stinger fragments within the eye. 

A 41-year-old man presented to our Emergency Department (ED) with a chief complaint of a bee sting to the left eye, with a simultaneous sting to the left upper extremity, that occurred 48 h before presentation. The past medical history was significant only for sinusitis. The patient denied any antecedent history of bee sting allergy and complained of pain and light sensitivity in the affected eye. 

The patient tolerated the procedure well and was discharged on a cycloplegic, topical antibiotic and oral analgesics. On ophthalmologic follow-up at 1 week, the eye had healed with a minimal residual corneal defect. At 2-month follow-up, the eye was entirely healed, and vision was equal bilaterally.

The Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 20, Issue 2, February 2001, Pages 125–128

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