Nearly everyone has been stung by an insect at one time or another. It is an unpleasant experience that people hope not to repeat, but for most people the damage inflicted is only temporary pain. This publication is about stings from bees and wasps, but the information also pertains to stings from fire ants as well. Stinging insects are limited to the order Hymenoptera, which includes wasps, bees, and ants. The stinger is a modified egg-laying apparatus, so only females can sting.
Most hymenopterans live solitary lives and their behavior is more likely to be flight than fight.
Social hymenopterans, including yellowjackets, bumble bees, honey bees, and fire ants, have individuals in the colony whose task it is to defend the nest. If the nest is disturbed, these individuals will defend it vigorously. In addition, foraging members of the colony will also sting if they are disturbed or injured as they go about their activities. Some, such as the yellowjacket, are much more liable to attack than others. Yellowjackets and Other Social Wasps .