A stinging bee, her abdomen curved forward for leverage.

Honey bees- but not most other bees- die after stinging because the stinger remains in the skin, attached to some of the bee's vital organs.

A bee's sting apparatus, with associated venom glands, remains in the beekeeper's skin to maximize venom delivery. The stinger also releases a banana-like odor that serves as a marker to other guard bees.