A small bee apparently died on my windowsill while trying to escape. The position it’s in actually is strangely beautiful - I want to coat the bee in resin and make a necklace pendant of it.
I don’t know how careful I should be while handling it though - does a dead bee’s stinger still function?
Yes. I know the plural of anecdote is not “data,” but trust me on this one. Handle with care.
Inigo, I found your comment very funny for some reason. Probably because I’m tired.
Amazon Floozy GOODNESS (I saw your picture, forget about hiding) here’s a link I found:
“Ever been bit by a dead bee?”
Yes, you can still be stung by dead bees and wasps; you’d have to be quite unlucky to get a bad sting, as the insect isn’t alive to pump any significant amount of venom into you, but I suppose if you just happened to squash it in the wrong way…
After a few days, they dessicate and are less likely to present a problem (you should embed the thing in resin ASAP, as it will start to shrivel and turn dull quite quickly.
Reality Chuck:
The line is actually: “Wuz you ever bit by a dead bee?”
To which I respond: “No, wuz you?”
Dex. You’re getting senile. You weren’t in that movie. 
And you definitely didn’t play “Slim.”
I think she said “Were you?”
Anecdotal, and I hate to break up this roiling storm between the mods and admins…
My mom stepped on a dead bee several years ago (one of those big drone honeybees, nothing to worry about otherwise - they are very non-aggressive).
Ouch! She definitely got stung. Real bad. Dead bee. Bad sting.
I got stung several years ago when I stepped on a dead bee.
Yeah, I checked and that’s her line.
Now, I can picture Dex as Walter Brennan, but not Bacall.
Add one to the anecdote count, please. If we get enough, will that constitute quasi-data?
Bee researchers and beekeepers will tell you of pulling off a stinging bee, only to leave the stinger and venom sac stuck in the skin. (A bee’s stinger has barbs.) The sac keeps pumping, visibly. So, yes, a dead bee can sting, but not for very long.