. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. June 22, 1899. AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 387 hausted. But in taking- it oflf great care must be exercised not to press it or pinch it, as the poison-pouch would thus be entirely emptied into the wound. It should be brusht off ?or scraped off without a second's delay. The smell of the poison is very noticeable, and reminds one of the smell of ants, for it is indeed very similar to formic acid. This pun- gent smell irritates the bees, and adds to their irascibility. But if the sting of bees is a dangerous poison, it proves to have also medical properties, l
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. June 22, 1899. AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 387 hausted. But in taking- it oflf great care must be exercised not to press it or pinch it, as the poison-pouch would thus be entirely emptied into the wound. It should be brusht off ?or scraped off without a second's delay. The smell of the poison is very noticeable, and reminds one of the smell of ants, for it is indeed very similar to formic acid. This pun- gent smell irritates the bees, and adds to their irascibility. But if the sting of bees is a dangerous poison, it proves to have also medical properties, like most violent poisons. It is a well known fact that it has often cured rheumatism. At least numerous reports of such cures have been made at •different times by bee-keepers thru the papers, and this is •doubtlessly not without good foundation. But this is a ?" heroic remedy," and very few people will be willing to get stung experimental^- for this purpose, unless they be as indifferent to stings as Reaumur, the great entomologist ?of the XVIIIth century, who relates in his book having caused a wasp to sting him at three different times in suc- ?cessioii, just to see whether the wasp would be able to -furnish as much venom at the last as at the first. He found, as might have been expected, that the last sting was not -painful because the venom-sac had been emptied by the two previous punctures. He saj-s that at a fourth trial he tXPLflNftTORY. C—Poisoa-sac. A—.\wl. U. U—Barbs. —Hollows in lancets 'T'—Groove in lancet. JM—Tube from sac to reservoir. B, B—Lancets. •O, O—Openinjjs from hijUow in lancets. S—Reservoir. E, E-Valves. H—Hollow in awl. T. T—Ridffes in Sting with Lancets drawn one side, cross-section of Sting, and a Lancet, much magnified. could not succeed in inducing the insect to sting again. The poor wasp had evidently given it up for a bad job. The queen-bees have a sting, but it is small, curved, and used only in fig
Size: 1304px × 1916px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbees, bookyear1861
