Generally, only honeybees leave their stingers after a sting, because of the barbs on the stinger. Removing the stinger quickly -- ideally less than 10 seconds after being stung -- is important because this minimizes how much venom is injected. The method of removing the stinger, such as scraping or pinching, seems to be less important, contrary to popular belief. If you spend too much time trying to remove the stinger by gingerly scraping at it, and more than 30 seconds passes, all of the venom has already been injected.