"In a word, no. While some bees undoubtedly do die, others don't. "
"Honeybees will most often die as a consequence of stinging [humans or other mammals]," Ray said. "This is due to the anatomy of their stinger. It is barbed, which catches within the skin, allowing the stinger to remain in place..."
"Honeybees do not tend to die when stinging other insects or spiders, which tends to happen only if the bee thinks its hive is being invaded. This is because the stinger is generally able to pierce an insect's relatively thin exoskeleton and can be extracted without incurring damage..."
"Human skin, however, is much thicker than most insects' exoskeletons, meaning "the stingers become lodged... When the bee flies away after stinging a person, the stinger remains, and the organs of its gut are pulled and detached, effectively disemboweling the individual [bee]"
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