38 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



February 



correct; about the correctness of the 

 former I entertain .some doubts, i. e., 

 I think the number of wild bees is 

 much greater). 



The Dickel theory ought by this time 

 to be dead for good. A few months 

 ago Professor Fleischmann, after some 

 extensive investigations, declared it 

 false. Lately Professor Weissmann 

 and his helpers after Studying the mat- 

 ter during the last three years, have 

 arrived at the same conclusion. 



Some vears ago Professor Joseph 

 Langer undertook a thorough study of 

 the venom of the bee. Up to that 

 time it was generally thought that the 

 formic acid contained in it, though a 

 number of able men did think that it 

 must be an alkaloid, but nothing had 

 been proven. Dr. Langer in the four 

 years during which he experimented 

 used about 120,000 bees to obtain the 

 venom desired. The experiments were 

 made on men and beasts, chiefly rab- 

 bits. Sometimes with the bee-stings, 

 sometimes by introducing the venom 

 under the skin with a syringe. The 

 formic acid has a slight eft'eet, as was 

 proven by using it directly instead of 

 venom. A poisonous substance, of the 

 class called by chemists, alcaloids, is 

 really the active principle of the bee- 

 venom. 



Other scientists have lately added to 

 Dr. Langer's researches. The bee-ven- 

 om does not proceed out of a single 

 gland, but from several, so minute that 

 they are almost impossible to separate. 

 The one producing the alcaloid is ex- 

 tremely small and had so far escaped 

 observation. 



Among the 164 bee-keepers exam- 

 ined, 11 were not hurt much when 

 stung, 12G became used to the stings, 

 that is, became immune, and 21 did not 

 become immune. Among the HH, 2S 

 were at the beginning, exceedingly 

 sensible and subject to seriois sickness 

 when badly stung. 



As to the remedies, the only really 

 useful are the permanganate of potash 

 and chloroform. They should be intro- 

 duced under the skin at the point 

 stung, with hypodermic syringe, other- 

 wise they have but little effect. 



It is also stated that the venom of 

 snakes, wasps, scorpions, etc., Is of the 

 same nature, so far as the alcaloid or 

 active principle is concerned. 



Aside from the pain and swelling» 

 the effect— we might say the deadly 

 effect — is on the nervous system, and, 

 in cases of snake bite or excessive bee 

 stinging, the nervous action ceases and 

 the heart fails altogether. In spite 

 of all that temperance writers may 

 have said to tiie contrary, alcohol is 

 the remedy indicated, as it stimulates 

 the nervous system and enables it to 

 counteract the effects of the alcaloid 

 poison. 



It would be interesting to know 

 whether one immune to bee stings 

 would be also immune to snake bites, 

 but nobody seems to have experi- 

 mented in that direction, undoubtedly 

 for very good reasons. 



SWITZERLAND. 



M. Fenoillet is of the opinion that 

 honey ripens in the hive within five 

 or six days days. — B. Vater. 



A year ago, or about, the bee-keep- 

 ing world was almost startled by the 

 supposed discovery of Dr. Lambotte 

 that the much dreaded foul brood is 

 nothing more or less than a form of 

 putrefaction frequently met in Nature, 

 especially in decayed milk or cream, 

 wet bread and potatoes. In a word 

 that foul brood was produced by the 

 well-known bacillus mesentericus. 



Recently two articles have appeared 

 in the Revue Internationale showing 

 that Dr. Lambotte was mistaken, and 

 that the bacillus mesentericus produc- 

 ing putrefaction and the bacillus alvei 

 which produces foul brood are two dis- 

 tinct beings, though so near alike in 

 every respect that they cannot be dis- 

 tinquished except by exceptionally del- 

 icate means of investigation. 



One of these articles is by Professor 

 F. C. Harrison, of Guelph, (Ontario), 

 and the other by Mr. Th. W. Cowan, 

 the editor of the British Bee Journal. 

 Both are well known and undoubtedly 

 competent to handle the question. 

 Their articles are too long to take place 

 here. Those of the readers of this pa- 

 per who Avould like to know more 

 about Dr. Lambotte's ideas will find 

 them explained in the January, 190S 

 number of this paper. 



ITALY. 



Mention is made in L'Apicoltore of 



two wasp nests found Infected with 



foul brood. If wasps, bumblebees, 



wild bees of all sorts and perhaps other 



