{
  "abstract": "The evolution and deployment of venom systems in animals have been central to their ecological success, though not without costs. For social bees, venom plays a key role in nest defence; yet for species such as honeybees, the act of stinging generally leads to death. However, for other social bee species such as bumblebees, where stinging is not apparently fatal, it raises the question of what, if any, are the consequences associated with venom usage (envenomation). Here, we investigated proteomic changes to understand consequences that can occur at the molecular level in the venom sac, the primary reservoir for venom storage, of Bombus terrestris workers over a short time‐course post‐envenomation. Our analysis reveals three key findings: (1) envenomation leads to changes in the venom sac proteome, with affected proteins generally reduced in the bumblebee venom sac, suggestive of a molecular cost; (2) quantified reductions of traditional venom‐associated proteins post‐envenomation indicate changes in individual venom protein abundance post‐usage; and (3) recovery period for bumblebee post‐envenomation to return to a non‐envenomation state was required, further indicating a potential cost at the molecular level associated with venom usage. Overall, our findings provide new insights into the molecular consequences of venom usage in bumblebees.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany",
    "Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) Mainz Germany",
    "Department of Biology Maynooth University Maynooth Co. Kildare Ireland"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Safira Moog",
      "orcid": "0009-0002-2458-6133"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mario Dejung"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Amitkumar Fulzele"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "James C. Carolan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Thomas J. Colgan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3v6crk5cfr00k.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1002/ece3.74629",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "3v6crk5cfr00k",
  "issns": [
    "2045-7758",
    "2045-7758"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74629",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ece3.74629",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-05",
  "publisher": "Wiley",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3v6crk5cfr00k.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:21:13Z",
      "native_id": "10.1002/ece3.74629",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74629"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "issn:2045-7758",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Envenomation Leads to Venom Protein Reduction and a Recovery Period in Bumblebee Workers",
  "title_text": "Envenomation Leads to Venom Protein Reduction and a Recovery Period in Bumblebee Workers",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T00:22:40Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3v6crk5cfr00k",
  "venue": "Ecology and Evolution",
  "versions": []
}