SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE 43 



was inserted in m)' flesh so deep that I would have to remove it with the 

 sharp point of my knife; then many times they would break off and be 

 so deep in my flesh that I could hardly remove them. The stings that 

 are inserted deep into the tender portions of the flesh are the 

 ones that give the most pain. While the sharp end of the sting is 

 being inserted in" the flesh, there is a tiny sac of poison at the other end 

 emptying its contents around the sting and penetrating the flesh. The 

 sooner the sting is removed, the less of this poison gets into the flesh, 

 and the less painful the sting will be; but if it is removed by catching it 

 between the fingers all the poison will be squeezed out of the sac into the 

 wound made by the sting, and, of course, it will be more painful than if it 

 were removed with a knife or scraped off against the corner of the hive 

 so that the poison would not get into the wound made by the sting any 

 more than possible. 



As yet there has been no remedy discovered that will kill the effect 

 of bee-stings; and the best we can do is to avoid as many of them as 

 possible, and, when stung, remove them in the best and quickest way 

 possible. Bees do not always sting as soon as they alight; and if they are 

 given a quick mash, many painful stings may be avoided. If one alights on 

 your hand or arm, dislodge it at once by giving your hand a quick jerk, or 

 sling, and many stings will thus be saved. 



By watching the bees closely you can tell when their intentions are to 

 sting you, and 'they should be thoroughly subdued before they are further 

 molested. 



If a bee is slightly pressed it will endeavor to try to release itself by 

 stinging the object pressing it; and while handling -bees they should not be 

 pressed or mashed. 



It is a well-known fact that bees have stings and the knowledge to use 

 them whenever they see fit; and if we go about their hives or molest 

 them without using the proper precaution, and get stung, we should endure 

 it as the ox endures the sting of the lash, and consider that it was our 

 fault and not so much the ill will the bees may have for us. While bees 

 consider all living objects about their hives as intruders, yet they do not 

 swarm out on them in an unmerciful manner and sting them because they 

 have stings, and can use them. They give their intruders a chance to 

 move on; but if they remain and disturb them, and the defense of their 

 hives and contents is forced upon them, naturally they will sting. I have 

 been stung by bees thousands of times, but I do not lay one sting to their 

 charge, for I have been an unmerciful intruder many times. 



ENEMIES OF BEES. 



The enemies of honey-bees are many, and every apiary in the South 



is infested by them more or less. Fowls and insects of various kinds to 



some e.xtent depend on the apiaries for their daily food at certain times 



of the year, and more so than the majority of the bee-keepers may sup- 



