[Kerry Clark writes]: [edited] If skunks really get as many stings as is supposed, there must indeed be some great difference in susceptibility. Justin Schmidt's article in Hive and Honey Bee indicates a median lethal dose (from a direct toxic effect, rather than an allergic reaction) for humans, as 19 stings per kilogram body weight. The lethal dose for a skunk at that rate, would be only 50 stings or so (2 kg skunk?). Are bee stings as painful to skunks as they are to humans? I've heard from people who have observed bears in apparent considerable pain as they consumed combs from a hive they knocked over, even some bears who were driven away from hives by bees..could skunks be that different? I sure wish I knew. I would have thought the question of how wild animals withstand stings would have been answered by now. Are we sure nobody knows??? Liz Day [log in to unmask] Indianapolis, Indiana, central USA