EXAMINING AND HANDLING BEES.—Chapter 1X. 
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The stinger of a bee dissected. Fig. 1 shows the 
wonderfully constructed weapon as a whole, the 
lower part of which is composed of an outer shell 
D, and two barbed spears (Fig. 2) that slide part- 
ly inside of it. hese barbs have a pumping mo- 
tion that sinks them alternately deeper and deeper 
into whatever is stung. Fig. 3 is a transverse sec- 
tion of the stinger cut across at dotted line below 
D of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a crystallized drop of the 
hbee’s poison. J of Fig. 1 is the sac from which 
the poison is pumped into the wound by the same 
pump motion that sinks the barbs deeper and 
deeper. The bee dies as a result of leaving her 
stinger in the wound—a bit of poetic justice and 
quite generally satisfactory to the stung. 
52 
Leaning a frame against the hive. 
when the bees are cross or 
cold or suddenly deprived of 
nectar in the fields), because 
he will find that an intelli- 
gent use of the smoker will 
do more to eliminate stings 
than any other one thing. Re- 
member, too, it is sympathy 
with the bees as well as ex- 
pertness in handling them 
that finally results in han- 
dling them without harm to 
the operator. 
If a sting be received the 
stinger, which will be found 
sticking in the flesh, should 
be immediately brushed or 
scraped off. This is because 
the sting has a poison sac at 
its base from which poison is 
pumped into the wound, 
even after the stinger is de- 
tached from the bee. The 
sting is also barbed and con- 
tinues to work farther into 
the flesh as long as left in 
the wound. By swiftly brush- 
ing or scraping off the sting 
(rather than picking it off) 
no pressure is put on the 
poison sac and thus no poi- 
son is forced into the wound. 
There is no known cure 
