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received on any part of the body produces swelling of the 
lips and face, a choking sensation in the throat, and frequently 
blisters or red spots all over the skin. Those who are affected 
in this way should not try to keep bees. Beginners should 
avoid getting their first stings on the face, because such stings 
give considerable pain and sometimes cause quite remarkable 
swelling. Both eyes may be completely closed by a single 
sting. On the hands bee stings are much less serious and 
quite as effective so far as acquiring immunity is concerned. 
Structure and Action of the Sting. 
The sting of the worker bee consists essentially of two 
barbed darts working inside a brown sheath, which is 
frequently, but erroneously, believed to be the sting proper. 
These darts get so firmly fixed in the human skin that the 
bee as a rule is unable to free itself except by tearing the 
sting and its appurtenances away from its body. An 
examination of the sting thus detached will show the brown 
sheath with its hollow point embedded in the skin, the white 
mauscles which work the darts, and a little bladder containing 
a crystal-clear fluid with a characteristic aromatic odour. 
This is the sting-poison which is pumped into the wound by 
the alternate action of the darts, and which is responsible for 
the pain and the swelling. The diffusion of the odour of 
bee-venom incites other bees to sting. For this reason one 
should avoid killing a bee if at all possible, for the bee am 
extremis always thrusts forth its sting, thus producing the 
characteristic odour. Apart from this effect, the killing of a 
bee causes no concern to her companions. If any honey is 
exposed in the crushed body of the slain bee the others near 
at hand will calmly insert their trunks and lap it up so that 
nothing may be lost. On account of the irritating effect of 
this odour a bee-keeper, who has received stings in his coat 
or veil, may find it advisable to exchange these for others or to 
wait till the sting-poison has dried up and become odourless. 
For some minutes at least after the bee has freed itself, 
the white muscles of the detached sting will be observed to 
twitch rythmically, and close observation will prove that the 
