1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



519 



BEE-STINGS. 



WHAT BECOMES OF THE PART REMAINING IN THE 

 FLESH AFTER THE TOP IS BROKEN OFF? 



T AM requested by a subscriber to Gleanings to 

 (^ explain how the bee-sting is removed fi-otn 

 ^l one's skin when broken off in the act of sting-- 

 ■^ iiifj-. Ho sug'g-csts that, if it does not work out, 

 it must be alisorbed by the system; in which 

 case bethinks that some bee-keepers must be large- 

 ly composed of stings. 



The skill consists of two layers— tlie outer scarf 

 skin, or cuticle, also oalleil epidermis, and the inner 

 true skin, or corium, also called cutis vera. Tlie 

 outer skin is made up of what is known as scaly, or 

 pavement epithelium; that is, it consists of innu- 

 merable minute overlapping scales. Theinner scales 

 contain pigment in their substance, and thus the 

 color of skin. The albino has no pigment, and 

 hence his skin is transparent, and looks pinkish, as 

 we look right through and see minute blood-\'osscls 

 filled with blood. The inner skin consists of an 

 outer part, which, like the cuticle, has no nerves, 

 and so is not sensitive to pain or touch. This is 

 made up of white fibrous tissue and small involun- 

 tary muscles. These muscles contract if the skin 

 is chilled, and drawing the skin away from about 

 the hairs forms the well-known " goose Hesh." He- 

 neath this layer, which is known as the reticulum, 

 because of its intercrossing fibers, is the jiapillarj- 

 layer. This is the very inner part of the skin. It 

 takes its name from the fact that little teat-like 

 processes— papilliB— push up against the outer 

 part of the skin. The ridges seen on the inside of 

 our hands are but the elevations of these papilla\ 

 Into these papilla^ from beneath come nerves and 

 blood-vessels. Thus from here comes all nourish- 

 ment to the outer skin; and here is the sensitive 

 part of the skin. Thus, a bee to hurt us must push 

 its sting through the cuticle and reticulated part of 

 the corium till it pierces the jjapillte, where the 

 blood receives the poison, and the nerves twinge 

 with its venom. 



Now, as we understood the anatomy of the skin 

 we can see how the sting, if broken ott' in the skin, 

 is loosened and liberated. The scaly, or outer 

 skin, is constantly being worn ofl". When we bathe, 

 the water often is clouded with these minute scales. 

 The snake sheds its scales once a year; but we are 

 doing it all the time. As these scales are constant- 

 ly wearing off, any minute portion of sting which 

 is held in them is also worn off and separated from 

 the body. Even if a small portion of a sting is 

 caught by the reticulum, the part would probably 

 suppurate and loosen the sting, as is done with 

 slivers that enter and are caught and held in the 

 skin. We thus see that a bee-keeper is not made up 

 of stings, by any means. 



In case of porcupine quills, which are barbed like 

 a bee's sting, they are thrust through into the mus- 

 cle, so that every move of the muscle pushes them; 

 and as they can not go back, they are pushed on. 

 Thus a porcupine quill may pass some distance 

 through the unlucky animal which has caught 

 them in its tissues. A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



There, old friend, you have given me a 

 thought I never got before ; but 1 might 

 have got it just as well as not. From child- 

 hood I have been alUicted with dandruft' on 

 my head— so much so that I do not dare to 



scratch my head, even when I am in a 

 brown study; that is, when Mrs. Eoot is 

 around ; for if I do she has got to get tlie 

 clothes-brush and give me a regular curry- 

 ing-down, especially if I liave my Sunday 

 clothes on. W^ashiiig my head with great 

 energy (borax and Ivory soap being used 

 along witli the energy) helps the mattef 

 greatly ; but before Saturday night the wliite 

 bran will begin again to i-atlle down over 

 my clothes, if I scratch my head very much. 

 Well, in very hot weathei', when I perspire 

 greatly, I have noticed that these scales can 

 be brushed oif from other portions of my 

 body than my head. And now conies a 

 point I did not understand before. It is this : 

 Whenever I bathe, the water in the bath- 

 tub is covered with these white scales ; and 

 when the water is drawn off from the ttib, 

 the sediment collects around the sides of the 

 tub, indicating high-water mark unless I 

 take pains to scrub it off as the water h^wei'S. 

 If 1 do not, my wife will scrub up tht; bath- 

 tub after me, and I do not want, especially 

 in my old age, to add to the burden of my 

 wife's household duties. Well, this accu- 

 mulation that is coming oif so constantly 

 from my body is, as you tell it, the outside 

 skin being washed away. Mt)\v, I am pecul- 

 iar in this respect. My skin is wearing away 

 so rapidly that it is always very white {)rhen 

 the dirt is off). I remember, when I was a 

 young man even the girls used to envy me 

 my white skin. I never got tanned or 

 freckled— at least, not very much ; but 1 do 

 get sunburnt, I tell you. A great many 

 times I have felt bad about this dandrtitf 

 trouble ; but if it simply indicates that it is 

 because God is making me over new all the 

 while, I will try to think it is not any thing 

 wrong. Perhaps, Professor, you can tell us 

 something about dandruff, if there is any 

 remedy, since you have got so near the dan- 

 druff "question. I suppo.se you know how 

 many patent hair restoratives there are that 

 claim to cure dandruff'.— Now in regard to 

 bee-stings : I have sometimes been afraid 

 that old bee-keepers do get full of stings. 

 We now know it is not so, and therefore 

 there is no excuse for their being cross and 

 sharp— 110, not even at bee-conventions. 



RAMBLE NO. 2. 



ABOUT ANOTHER PROGRESSIVE BEE-MAN, ETC. 



f!^ HE 4th of August found myself and President 

 ^L Pierce early on our ioui-ney. Just as soon 

 < as we had taken our seats, side by side in the 

 carriage, a peculiar feeling suddenly siilf us- 

 ed itself over liie. I thought I had grown 

 about six inches, or that the president's portion of 

 the seat had settled that much; for when walking 

 around together and talking, I felt somewhat over- 

 shadowed, as the president, standing up, is over 

 six feet tall; but sitting down he is no greater phys- 

 ically than any ordinary bee-man. As usual we 

 couldn't agree as to whether the fault was in my 

 body or his legs. But let me whisper in your ear, 

 it was his unmercifully long legs. 



A traveler pursuing a northerly course through 

 Saratoga County, following the R. & S. K. K., will 

 observe that the soil is of a sandy nature, aiid un- 



