Does a bee know it will die before it decides to sting?

It is common knowledge that after a bee stings, it dies, right? This isn't necessarily the case for many reasons. First of all, depending on the classification method used, there can be tens of thousands of species. To make things easier, let's just talk about the common honey bee. This particular type is divided into three categories: queens, workers, and drones.

Of these three, only queens and workers have stingers. The queen stinger is actually straight and smooth, making it capable of stinging many times without dying. The worker honey bees, however, have a barbed tip on the end of their stinger, making removal impossible. This rips their whole back end off as they attempt to fly away, causing their inevitable death.

It is said that queen and worker bees have vastly different reasons for stinging. Queen bees use their stinger to fight and kill other queen bees to be the last remaining ruler. Worker bees apparently sting to protect the group and hive. It sounds kind of noble, but I wonder if they would be so noble if they knew it involved getting their ass ripped off?

The real question seems to lie in the capability of the bee to have awareness and intention. What are the parameters for intention and awareness? Is it brain size? If so, comparatively, bees are out of luck. Regardless, there seem to be many studies out there that prove the intelligence of bees.

Its been broken down and analyzed many times that bees have their own language composed of dance used to communicate with each other. Communication is an act that requires intention and interaction. Their intention to protect the hive is exhibited when they attack anyone who comes close to the hive by stinging them. Which brings me back to the original question. Does a bee know it will die before it decides to sting?

From analyzing all this, I think the answer is a little less foggy. It seems the life of the worker bee consists of the purpose to protect and serve the queen and the hive as a whole. Utilitarianism at its best. So, yes, I do think the worker honey bee does know it will die before it decides to sting. In fact, I think it seems to be the ultimate sacrifice on their part to fulfill their calling in this lifetime.