714 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bee-Stings, Camphor, etc 



DR. G. L. TINKER. O 



Mr. C. G. Beitel, on page 681 of the 

 Bee Journal, desires an opinion on 

 the effect of camphor applied to bee- 

 stings. Mv reply is, tliat spu'its of 

 camphor has probably been applied 

 as a remedy for bee-stiiigs times in- 

 numerable, without serious results; 

 but in my opinion it or any other 

 stimulant and irritant is contra-indi- 

 cated on the principle that adding 

 fuel to fire is never advisable where 

 you wish to put out the fire. Seda- 

 tives, and more particularly cooling 

 applications, are indicated. In the 

 list of sedatives, belladonna and hot 

 water rank first; and among cooling 

 applications, ice, cold water, clay, 

 etc., are best. Non-stimulating alka- 

 lies locally and internally are useful. 

 The primary effect of a large num- 

 ber of stings, and possibly sometimes 

 of only one in very susceptible per- 

 sons, is to powerfully depress the 

 nervous system, to impede and even 

 to stagnate the cin-ulation of the 

 blood. The reduction of temperature 

 is marked, and a chill or intermittent 

 rigors may supervene, the skin mean- 

 time becoming mottled as in the pois- 

 oning by some kinds of animals. 

 These symptoms are the indications 

 for strong stimulants internally, like 

 whisky. If reaction is established, 

 recovery is generally assured ; but it 

 is followed speedily by a very fre- 

 quent pulse and a very higli tempera- 

 ture, much swelling and a peculiar 

 itching sensation witli more or less 

 pain and heat in the affected parts. 

 These symptoms indicate sedatives 

 internally, like belladonna, aconite 

 and nitrate of potassa, to control the 

 active capillary circulation, and 

 locally, ice, cold water, or other cool- 

 ing applications ; especially should 

 the head be kept cool. 



Recovery takes place in 24 to 48 

 hours from the active symptoms, leav- 

 ing swelling, itcliing, and stiffness of 

 the parts stung, for several days after- 

 ward. The patient should be kept as 

 quiet as possible, and in a cool place 

 luitil the swelling subsides. The 

 above is the treatment which I have 

 successfullv followed in severe cases. 

 In the case of Mrs. Sturdevant, al- 

 luded to on page ()36, it seems prob- 

 able that the relation of cause and 

 effect, as held by the physician in 

 attendance, was "well taken. How- 

 ever, the aggravating effect of the 

 spirits of camphor may have precipi- 

 tated a fatal result. The notable 

 feature of this case is the point at 

 which the sting was received. The 

 physician, probably, in locating it so 

 accurately, had in view tlie possibility 

 of the large sensory nerve (the supe- 

 rior maxillary, wliich emerges from the 

 infra-orbital foramen at or near the 

 point entered by the sting) being 



punctured. It is my opinion that this 

 nerve, or some part of the injra-orbi- 

 tal plexus joining with it, and which 

 could be reached by a bee's stmg, was 

 so penetrated and the poison lodged 

 in its substance. Such an accident 

 would produce a powerful impression 

 upon tlie great life-centre, the medidla 

 oblongata, witli which the nerve com- 

 municates by a very short route. 

 Probablv tlie most dangerous point 

 where one can be stung is just beneath 

 the eyes. . 



Care should be taken in working 

 with ugly colonies, not to leave them 

 in a mood, as is too often the case, to 

 attack any one. Persons passing 

 near are liable to be stung by them 

 unexpected and seriously. I would 

 advise the suiierseding of all ugly 

 colonies promptly; but if they are to 

 be kept and handled, tliey should first 

 be thoroughly smoked with tobacco 

 before opening the hives. I useScotch 

 snuff thinly spread upon dry cotton- 

 doth ; roll it up, set fire to the roll, 

 and put it inti) tlie smoker. It takes 

 the fight all out of the ugliest colony 

 in short order, and they are not apt 

 to volunteer an attack for a w-eek 

 afterwards. Tobacco does not seem 

 to do them any harm. By the way, 

 the Germans, and the German hy- 

 brids are the only bees which liave, in 

 my experience, required the use of 

 much smoke. 



In answer to Mr. Wismer, on page 

 635, 1 will say that the animal scent of 

 bees and the odor of bee-poison are 

 quite different. The first may be 

 readily detected on any evening in 

 summer, wlien the bees are briskly 

 fanning at tlie entrance ; the latter, 

 on opening a liive on a cool day, when 

 numbers of the bees will elevate and 

 protrude their stings, at the ends of 

 which may be seen a' tiny drop of the 

 poison. 1 would ask Mr. AVismer 

 whether he tliinks that the venom of 

 a bee's sting and the acid secreted in 

 the stomach of tlie bee, are identical ? 

 If not, I am unable to see the point 

 in the question he propounds. 



Again, it is inii)robable that bees 

 ever deposit the poison of tlieir stings 

 in the honey ; imr do I believe, as has 

 been suggested, tliat sealed honey is 

 ever coated over or permeated by it 

 in any way. I am sure that I have 

 taken hundreds of pounds of comb 

 honey wiiliout a particle of the poison 

 getting upon it while taking it off. It 

 is not at all likely that the cause of 

 disagreement of honey with some peo- 

 ple is due in any way to the venom of 

 bees" stings. 



In this connection I desire to thank 

 Mr. Wismer for bringing to the no- 

 tice of bee-keepers, not only other 

 cases where bees have perished upon 

 winter stores exclusively of sugar or 

 syrup, but for the presentation of 

 several cases in which bee-diarrhcea 

 lias resulted where nothing but sugar 

 stores were provided. 

 New Philadelphia, Ohio. 



Country Gentleman. 



After-Swarming. 



W. Z. HUTCHINSON.O 



1^ The bee-keepers of McDonough 

 and adjoining counties are requested 

 to meet at Bushnell, 111., on Nov. 20, 

 1SS4, for the purpose of organizing a 

 bee-keepers" association. 



J. G. Norton. 



The first swarm which leaves a hive 

 is called a " first" or" prime '"swarm, 

 and it does not usually issue until 

 several queen-cells are well under 

 way, and perhaps one or more of tliem 

 sealed over. As soon as the first 

 queen hatches, if a flow of honey con- 

 tinues, she leads off a second, or 

 "after-swarm," and as the young 

 queens continue to hatch, they also 

 continue to lead off after-swarms, the 

 number which issue depending upon 

 the yield of honey, the amount of 

 brood left in tlie hive by the prime 

 swarm, and the weather. Of course, 

 each- successive swarm is smaller 

 than the preceding one, the last one 

 often not containing a pint of bees, 

 and if hived in the usual manner, 

 would amount to nothing ; but by liiv- 

 ing it upon emptv combs, andperhapa 

 giving it a frame or two of hatcliing 

 brood, and feeding it a few pounds of 

 sugar syrup, even if it does not secure 

 a sulHcient amount of honey for win- 

 ter stores, it can usually be brought 

 into good condition for passing the 

 winter ; and having a youug and vig- 

 orous queen, it is almost certain ta 

 j prove an excellent colony during the 

 succeeding season. 



One peculiarity about after-swarms 

 is, lliat tliev are likely to issue at al- 

 most aiiy time of the day, or in almost 

 any kind of weather, instead of 

 choosing the middle of a fine day, as 

 does a prime swarm ; they also go 

 farther from the hive to cluster, or 

 perhaps go off without clustering. 



When honev is more desirable than 

 increase, even prime swarms are not 

 welcomed by some bee-keepers, while 

 each after-swarm is looked upon as a 

 misfortune. One method of prevent- 

 ing after-swarming is to open the old- 

 hive after tlie first swarm has issued, 

 and cut out all the queen-cells except 

 one. The objections to this is the 

 trouble of performing the operation ; 

 and, if the cell wliich is left fails to 

 produce a perfect queen, the colony is 

 left hopelessly qiieenless. Ciiving the 

 old colony a laving queen, as soon as 

 the first swanh has left, will usually 

 prevent after-swarming, at least for 

 the time being, as the queen will at 

 once destroy all the queen-cells ; but 

 as soon as the hive becomes populous, 

 she will often lead out a swarm. Giv- 

 ing the old colony a newly-hatched 

 queen, or a queen-cell nearly ready to 

 hatch, will also prevent after-swarm- 

 ing, and is preferable to giving it a 

 laying queen, unless increase is de- 

 sirable. A newly-hatched queen, or a 

 queen-cell ready to hatch, is of little 

 value, while a laying-queen is worth 

 at least one diillar, and the colony, 

 not having a laying-queen until the 

 young queen is fertilized and laying, 

 does not become populous quite as 

 soon, and, consequently, is less in- 

 clined to swarm. A colony with a 

 young laying-queen, is not so apt to 

 swarin as one with an old queen. 



The writer has. the present season, 

 practiced to a considerable extent, 

 this method of preventing after- 



