Stinging Insects 
4i 
attack as long as they were disturbed. Not a single bee attempted 
to sting the left sleeve, which was of course entirely white, and. very 
few even alighted upon it.” 
‘‘This experiment was repeated a second, third and fourth time; 
in each instance with similar results. I estimated the number of bees 
on the band of black cloth at various moments was from thirty to 
forty; it was evident from their behavior that they were extremely 
irritable. To the left white sleeve and other portions of my clothing 
they paid very little attention; but the black veil was very frequently 
attacked.” 
‘‘A few days later the experiments were repeated, but the band of 
black cloth, ten inches wide, was sewed around my left arm instead 
of around the right arm as before. When the bees were disturbed, 
after the hive cover had been removed, they fiercely attacked the 
band of black cloth as in the previous experiences; but the right white 
sleeve and the white suit were scarcely noticed. At one time a part 
of the black cloth was almost literally covered with furiously stinging 
bees, and the black veil was assailed by hundreds. The bees behaved 
in a similar manner when a second hive on the opposite side of the 
apiary was opened.” 
‘ ‘A white veil which had been procured for this purpose, was next 
substituted for the black veil. The result was most surprising, 
for, whereas in the previous experiments hundreds of bees had 
attacked the black veil, so few flew against the white veil as to cause 
me no inconvenience. Undoubtedly beekeepers will find it greatly 
to their advantage to wear white clothing when working among their 
colonies of bees and manipulating the frames of the hives.” 
When a honey-bee stings, the tip of the abdomen, with the entire 
sting apparatus, is torn off and remains in the wound. Here the 
muscles continue to contract, for some minutes, forcing the barbs 
deeper and deeper into the skin, and forcing out additional poison 
from the reservoir. 
Treatment, therefore, first consists in removing the sting without 
squeezing out additional poison. This is accomplished by lifting 
and scraping it out with a knife-blade or the fingernail instead of 
grasping and pulling it out. Local application of alkalines, such as 
weak ammonia, are often recommended on the assumption that the 
poison is an acid to be neutralized on this manner, but these are of 
little or no avail. They should certainly not be rubbed in, as that 
would only accelerate the absorption of the poison. The use of 
