468 SANITARY ENTOMOLOGY 



The wasps most likely to sting are species of Vespa and Polistes. 



The most aggressive stinging insects in America are the Texas 

 Agricultural ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex, especially P. barbatus 

 Smith and P. californicus Buckley. These ants will attack any one who 

 comes in the vicinity of their large nests or who stands in their path. 

 The immediate effect of their sting is a paralysis of the limb affected. 

 The pain is very severe, and it is recorded that the sting of these ants 

 is fatal to young pigs. 



HONEY POISONING 



In South and Central America one very frequently sees the stingless 

 honey bees of the genera Melipona and Trigona at meat. The honey of 

 these bees is eagerly collected by the natives for food. According to 

 Wheeler and Von Ihering there are numerous cases of poisoning from 

 eating this honey. This poisoning is manifested by intestinal disorders, 

 sometimes causing paralysis and vomiting, while the honey of other species 

 causes eczema and skin diseases and death has been recorded. 



Wheeler states that Trigona bipunctata Lepeletier, T. amalthea 

 (Olivier) Jurine, and T. ruficrus (Latreille) Jurine make the wax of 

 moist earth collected along streams and drains or from the feces of ani- 

 mals and man. He noted T. ruficrus at Gatun, Canal Zone, visiting gar- 

 bage barrels in great numbers in company with house flies and blow flies. 

 He has observed T. bipunctata at Guatemala collecting human excrement 

 in open latrines and along railway tracks, and T. pallida Latreille was 

 noted at Gatun collecting crude black oil used as a mosquito larvicide. 



According to Von Ihering the honey of T. limao Smith is frequently if 

 not always poisonous, causing vomiting, convulsions, pains, and weaken- 

 ing of the joints. He cites several cases. Von Martius claims that there 

 is a bee whose honey causes tetanus. He may have referred to this or 

 related species. The cerumen or wax of this bee is sometimes so liquid 

 that it mixes with the honey. 



It is easy to see that there are abundant opportunities for contamina- 

 tion of the honey of this group of bees. In fact it is not uncommon to 

 see our own honey bee at excrement and there is a possibility that at 

 times it may contaminate its honey. 



Dr. Kebler has recorded cases of poisoning in New Jersey from eating 

 honey. Honey may also be poisoned by nectar gathered from poisonous 

 plants, of which Morley lists several. 



ANAPHYLAXIS 



Hadwen and Bruce have contributed to medical entomology another 

 type of disease caused by insects in showing that bot larva when crushed 



