High-speed video reveals how honey bee stingers pump venom

Key points

• High-speed footage shows how honey bee stingers pump venom. The valves attached to each lancet change shape as they slide back and forth, acting like collapsible pistons.
• Working in opposite directions, they deliver a continuous flow of venom while limiting backflow. Researchers built a 3D-printed model that reproduced the same pumping movement.
• Macquarie University co-author Fiorella Ramirez-Esquivel said the design lets the stinger deliver venom in a compact, self-contained unit. The authors believe the findings could inform medical and microfluidic devices, such as artificial pumps.