On Thu, 22 Jun 2000, Bob Young asked:

> Can bumblebees sting more than once?  I could not find a stinger and
> oddly enough considering the amount of pain, not even an entry point
> for the stinger.  The bee that stung me, and I assume this fact,
> continued to attack my face after stinging my ear and I was able to
> fend it off with my hat.  It did not appear to be injured and moved
> rapidly (Looked as big as a sparrow at that point!)

AFAIK, bumblebees have smooth stings, and can sting multiple times.

> They appeared to be the yellow and black bumblebee that I have
> observed on wildflowers and vitex plants lazily gathering nectar and
> sometimes even snoozing on the flowers. I have even touched them
> lightly without them taking any notice.

Agreed; my experience with bumblebees in the field is that they're
very docile.  When I was growing up, my grandparents had a
rhododendron planted along the side of their house.  It occupied
approximately the area of a sphere 10 feet in diameter.  When it
bloomed in the spring, it had hundreds of bumblebees on it.  I would
go around to the side of the house and watch them, usually standing
only a few feet away.  The bumblebees paid not the slightest attention
to me.

> Does anyone know whether the venom of the yellow and black bumblebee
> has an acidic or alkaline based sting so I know what to treat the
> sting with next time.

No idea, sorry...

James Ralston, southwestern PA, USA