Scientist who let bees sting him on 25 different body parts awarded Ig Nobel prize

Winners of this year Ig Nobel Prize include scientists who attached a weight to the rear chicken to see if it walked like a dinosaur

By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor

12:30AM BST 18 Sep 2015

A scientist who let bees sting him repeatedly on 25 different locations in his body has been awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for physiology.

The prestigious prize, which is now in its 25th year, is handed out by theAnnals of Improbable Research magazine for research that first makes you laugh, and then makes you think.

Michael Smith, of Cornell University, subjected himself to several stings a day to his face, arms and genitals to map out what section of the body was most sensitive to the barbs.

After weeks of research Smith found that although stings to his penis and testicles were uncomfortable, the worst place for a bee to attack was the nostril. Being stung on the upper lip was also one of the most painful locations for a bee sting.

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Honey-bees found to have bite that stuns

Honey-bees are known for their sting, but scientists have now discovered they can also bite.

Bees resort to biting when faced with pests, such as parasitic mites, that are too small to sting.

Close study of the biting behaviour has revealed that they secrete a chemical in their bite that stuns pests so they are easier to eject from a colony.

Tests suggest the chemical could also have a role in human medicine, as a local anaesthetic.

Stun tests

Dr Alexandros Papachristoforou, a biologist at Greece's Aristotle University of Thessaloniki told the BBC honey-bees had previously been seen dealing with pests that lived alongside them in colonies but this had always thought to be part of their grooming behaviour.

"Everybody thought that was it. Full stop," Dr Papachristoforou said. "But that's not the case. It's something totally different and was just there and we could not see it.

"I think we know too many things about the pathology of honey bees," he said. "We are still missing a lot of basic knowledge on their biology and behaviour."

The pests that honey-bees bite include varroa mites as well as wax moth larvae.

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20080389

Africanized Bees Sting Texas Man More Than 300 Times

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas -- A 40-year-old warehouse worker has been stung more than 300 times after accidentally disturbing a massive colony of Africanized bees in Central Texas.

Pflugerville police say the man was in stable condition when he was taken to a hospital after the attack Wednesday. Police say three other people were stung, but not seriously, by the aggressive honeybees.

The worker did not know that the bees had built their hive inside a cabinet that he was trying to move. Beekeeper Keith Huddle, who helped to remove the bees, tells the Austin-American Statesman that the colony contained some 125,000 of the insects and 120 pounds of honeycomb.

Entomologist Wizzie Brown says Africanized bees have become prevalent in Texas in recent decades.

Pflugerville is about 15 miles north of Austin.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/09/bees-sting-man_n_1759824.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news