204 Bees and Bee- Keeping. 



In America there are at the proper places immense 

 bee-farms, where there are perhaps ten thousand hives, 

 and where everything is reduced to a science, and the 

 whole treatment of bees for profitable honey-making 

 followed as a study, and made the one business of life 

 for scores of men and women. 



It will probably surprise many readers to hear it 

 suggested that the main end of the bee's sting is not 

 stinging. This notion, however, has its support in 

 several circumstances ; one of them is that the work- 

 ing bees alone have stings the others are stingless. 

 On this point a well-known naturalist has recently 

 written to the following effect : 



" It will be a surprise to many to learn that, after all, 

 the most important function of the bee's sting is not 

 its stinging. I have long been convinced that the bees 

 put the finishing touches on their artistic cell-work by 

 the dexterous use of their stings ; and during this final 

 finishing stage of the process of honey-making, the bees 

 inject a minute portion of formic acid into the honey. 

 This is in reality the poison of their sting. This formic 

 acid gives to the honey its peculiar flavour, and also 

 imparts to it its keeping qualities. The sting is really 

 an exquisitely contrived little trowel, with which the 

 bee finishes off and caps the cells when they are filled 

 brimful with honey. While doing this the formic acid 

 passes from the poison bag, exudes, drop by drop, 

 from the point of the sting, and the beautiful work is 

 finished." 



