166 THE BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. 
that the smell of the wool will incite to stinging, and 
so will that of some kinds of leather. 
Remedy for the sting of a bee.—Various remedies and 
directions have been from time to time prescribed. In 
the first place, the sting should at once be removed, 
but without rubbing the part. My own experience 
leads me to recommend, in preference to anything else, 
the immediate application of liquor potasse to the 
spot, as a powerful alkali, to neutralise the poison of 
the sting, which is an acid. It should be used in 
small quantity, on a point of some kind, as a needle, 
introduced into the wound. In the absence of this, 
pure liquid ammonia is said on good authority to 
succeed, if properly applied. Keep it ina close-stopped, 
small-necked bottle, which should be turned bottom- 
upwards, and held very tight over the part. Some 
persons have found relief from an immediate applica- 
tion of cold water. Indeed, any remedy to be efficacious 
must be speedily resorted to; and particularly in the 
warm months, for then the poison is much more active 
than in winter. 
A variety of other recipes are prescribed by different 
authors. It is strongly advisable, immediately after 
removing the sting, to press the hollow of a key over 
and around the point of incision. To wet the part 
freely with saliva is one recommendation; another is to 
do the same with tobacco-water; and even the blue-bag, 
resorted to by cottagers, has a beneficial alkaline power, 
though it may be the soda in which it has been steeped 
which imparts a large portion of its efficacy. A medi- 
cament specially prepared for the purpose is sold by 
the name of ‘Dr. Pine’s Bee-keepers’ Lotion;” and 
