Can you tell the age of a honeybee by the size of its stinger?

There is a popular myth that the size of a honeybee's stinger can be used to determine its age. However, this is not true. The size of a honeybee's stinger does not change as it ages.

Worker honeybees, which are female bees that do not reproduce, typically have smaller stingers than male bees or queen bees. The size of the stinger is determined by the size of the bee's abdomen, and worker bees have smaller abdomens than males or queens.

The purpose of a honeybee's stinger is not to inject venom, but to protect the hive from predators. When a bee stings a predator, the stinger becomes lodged in the predator's skin, and the bee eventually dies as a result of the stinger being pulled out of its body. Because of this, honeybees do not use their stingers to inject venom unless they feel threatened or are defending their hive.