II 



eflFects of the sting by instantly removing the sting, by scraping 

 it out with the finger nail, the edge of some sharp instrument 

 such as a knife blade, or rubbing it out on the clothing. Do 

 not attempt to pull it out as the poison sack at the end of. the 

 sting is torn away from the bee's body and the adhering muscles 

 automatically force the contents of the sack into the object 

 stung. In pulling the sting out with the fingers, the contents 

 of the poison sack are injected into the system and the effects 

 are much more marked. One can also do much to avoid stings 

 by being careful not to anger the bees. Always move carefully 

 about the hives. Do not breathe directly on the bees as all 

 animal odors seem objectionable. Avoid handling them when 

 perspiring freely. Do not jar the hives, rip off the cover or 

 yank out the frames. Always avoid opening hives when the 

 weather is very cool. The warmer the day the less the bees 

 resent having the hive opened. For this reason all" manipula- 

 tions of the colonies should be during the warmest part of the 

 day. 



There are few remedies that are of much good. Moist earth 

 or crushed plant leaf seem to relieve the sting when first applied. 

 Liniments as used about the home help but little. If the parts 

 are bathed with hot water, the pain is relieved but the swelling 

 is increased. If ice can be applied immediately after the sting, 

 it will draw the poison out but will pain intensively while it is 

 being applied. 



What Constitutbs a Colony o? Bees? 



A normal colony of bees, at the opening of spring or when 

 first put into winter quarters, co.nisists of several thousand 

 bees, varying from five thousand to perhaps five times that 

 number, and a queen or mother bee (see Fig. lo). Later in 

 the season, from May 15 to June i in this State, the drones or 

 male bees (see Fig. 11) begin to appear, and during the sum- 

 mer months some colonies may have as many as several thou- 

 sand. The colony may have their dwelling place in a modern 

 hive or some later modification of this, a straw skep, or a 

 hollow tree in the woods. From the cuts here shown, one 

 should be able to easily distinguish the different members of the 



