I think you might be anthropomorphizing a little - how self-aware is a bee? Your question also implies that a bee somehow knows that stinging will cost it dearly (although some bees don't die after stinging). There's a whole philosophical can of worms here: the bee as a unit in a larger organism; as a thinking organism in its own right (with an exaggerated attachment to family); self-sacrifice for the greater good etc. etc.(and all the metaphors one could derive).

If you want a one word answer, I say "No", but it's not a scientific answer, just my opinion based on the little I know about bees.

Again I agree with Pete. (Sorry Pete, really! I'll try not to do it so often!)

Apart from anthropomorphism, there is also the question of existentialism; suppose you had asked an analogous question about a dog, a robot, or a human; how could you get a trustworthy answer out of each?

All of which said, and taking a most anthropomorphic view of the matter, I rise to remark that a bee that buzzes around your head is unlikely to sting if you retreat quietly and promptly. Up to a point this makes sense and reduces the cost of defending the hive. However, a bee that stings without visible preliminaries generally comes at one like a pebble from a peashooter. One does not find this often in Europe or North America, because where the African bee has not yet penetrated (if you don't mind that expression) most of the honey bees currently are of Italian origin, and firm believers in la dolce vita. They will put up with behaviour that no self-respecting African, or even Cape bee would countenance for a moment. I probably have been in a better position to appreciate the point of the distinction more acutely than most European beekeepers.

Anyway, such a bee lands sting-first and in no apparent mood to philosophise about her meditations and premeditations.

Nor is it typically a primary concern of the victim.

Cheers,

Jon

I think that it invariably depends on the type of bee one is talking about. One cannot simply lump all bees into one category, just as one cannot say that all humans will have the same course of action in the same situation. 

As the question is tagged 'intelligence' i can only assume you believe bees to have the capacity to think about their actions in a pragmatic sense before acting. In which case it should be assumed that bees have the capacity to think about more than their actions, about their feelings, their relationships and even their death (which many believe to be an intrinsically human trait).

If this is the case then each bee may have it's own agenda, some bees may actually have more heroic traits and would therefore "take a bullet" for their hive, whereas many would retreat to the hive to find safety in numbers. 

However, it is my personal opinion that bees do not have this human-like intelligence and simply act on instinct, when they feel extreme danger they sting, therefore hopefully protecting their offspring at least, carrying on their genes. But bees are not aggressive and my limited knowledge of them leads me to believe that bees try to avoid stinging unless used as a last resort.