A sting is a wound made by an insect or other animal or plant when a sharp body part called a stinger enters the body and injects a poison, or venom. Reactions to the venom can range from mild to severe. Most stings can be treated easily. However, people with known allergies to stings must be treated immediately to prevent shock .
Stings vary greatly in their poisonous effects.
The sting of a domestic honeybee is not usually as unpleasant as that of a hornet. In some parts of the world the sting of a scorpion can be fatal, but scorpions in the western United States are not so toxic. Cause When certain insects or scorpions are disturbed or are looking for food, they may sting with a pointed stinger attached to their posterior end. The stinger injects a venom that insects such as bees produce in a venom sac. As the venom gets into the body, it causes a response by the immune system.