STINGS. 



405 



STINGS. 



used to take the cuts with those jack-knives, 

 in our boyhood days. Of course, we are not 

 to rush needlessly into danger; but when 

 it comes, take it philosophically. Tull the 

 sting out as quickly as possible, and do it in 



EFFECT OF ONE BEE- STING ON THE LIP. 



such a way as to avoid, as much as possible, 

 squeezing the contents of the poison-bag into 

 the wound. If you pick the sting out with 

 the thumb and finger in the way that comes 

 natural, you will probably get a fresh dose 

 of poison in the act, and this will sometimes 

 prove the most painful of the whole opera 

 tion, causing the sting to swell when it 

 otherwise would not have done so. 



Too much emphasis c;in not be plactd on 

 tlie fact that the sting should be removed a 

 once, for the reason that not only the pain 

 but the swelling will be very much reduced 

 Of course if the poison-bag is squeezed, thus 

 forcing the poison into the wound, in the act 

 of removing, the effect will be as bad as if 

 the sting were left in. We once received a 

 sting on the upper eye-lid; and as we were 

 wearing glasses it was impossible to scratch 

 it out immediately. The eye was suffused 

 with tears, and it was impossible to locate 

 the sting. Not being able to find any one to 

 pull it out, the sting remained in the wound. 

 This was certainly the worst "knock-out 

 blow" that we ever received from a bee. 

 Had we not been weaiing glasses, the sting 

 could e;)sily have been brushed away with 

 very little inconvenience. 



THE PKOPER WAY TO REMOVE A STING. 



The blade of a knife, if one is handy, may 

 be slid under the poison-bag, and the sting 



lifted out without pressing a particle more 

 of the poison into the wound. When a 

 knife- blade is not handy, push the sting 

 out witii the thumb or finger nail in much 

 the same way. It is quite desirable that the 

 sting be taken out as quickly as possible, for 

 if the barbs (to be described further along) 

 once get hold of the flesh, muscular contrac- 

 tions will rapidly work the sting deeper and 

 deeper. Sometimes the sting separates, leav- 

 ing part (one of the splinters, so to speak) in 

 the wound. It has been suggested that we 

 should be very careful to remove every one 

 of these tiny points; but after trying many 

 times to see what the effect would be,we have 

 concluded that they do but little harm, and 

 that the main thing is, to remove the part 

 containing the poison-bag before it has emp- 

 tied itself completely into the w^ound. When 

 very busy, or haviui.' something in the other 

 hand to make it inconvenient to remove the 

 sting with a knife or fiuger-nail,we have been 

 in the habit of rubbing the sting out against 

 the clothing, in such a way as to push the 

 poison-bag off sidewise; and although this 

 plan often breaks off the sting so as to 

 leave si)linters in the wound, we have found 

 little if any more trouble from them than 

 usual. 



REMEDIES FOR BEE-STINGS. 



For years past we have taken the ground 

 that medicines of all kinds are of so little 



EFFECT OF A STING NEAR THE EYE. 



avail, if of any use at all, that the best way 

 is to pay no attention to any of them. This 

 has awakened a great deal of arguing, and 

 the remedies that have been sent, which the 

 writers knew were good, because they had 



