The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1883-01-19
Effects Of StInEs in the Animal and Veg
etahie Kingdoms.


II is well known that the eject OF q
stinging nettis on the skin agrees very
closely wish the sensation produced by
the sting OF q bee or wasp. But the
great similarity IS not limited to tbs
feelings il causes, but. what may not be
so well known. the cause of the irrita-
tiOu produced ou The skin is essentially
the same. II may be considered as de-
fnitely settled that fornic acid is pres
ent il tho poison sac of the bee sting. IL
the sO-called bee poison. The same cor
rosiye acid also occurs in the sting of
the nettle. Some species of catterpill
ars have formic acid in their hairs, which
they seem to be able to shake of al viii,
when a person touches such a caJterpii-
lar the poison peBetTates the skin wher-
ever it is moist and causes burning, in
hammatiOn and itching. These poison
Gus members preserve their irritating
powers even afterthe death of the worm.
This accounts for reliable statements
tha5 visitors to collections of caterpillars
have suffered from exanthematous erup-
tiOns on the neck, Many hairy csterpil-
lars cause itching and burning Of the
skin when touched, and sometimes II
gives rise to swelling and redness This
depends on the dne hairs, which produce
the effect when they float around in the
air, Many ladies' who visited the cater
pillar room of the naturalist ReaumeT
had breaking out of the neck. -
In the sting of the bee, wasp, hornet,
etc, a minute drop Of a transparent IL
quid may be observed on the sting, and
called ''bee poison (formic acid It
penetrates into the wound produced by
the sting, and causes the well-knoWn ef-
fectS. 1t would. however, be a great
mistake to assume that the only object
/ of this is TO increase the effect of the
/ sting, that is, that it serves only to in
! Jure. II has a far more important pur-
4 pose. namely, to prevent fermentation
and decay. The celebrated bee cultur-
| or, Holz. reports that in his long exper-
( lence with honey, that which came
I from what are called raucorous swarms
I (boshaft) bad peculiar properties. II al
ways had bitter, harsh taste, and its
/ smell was sharp, too. How can the
! character of a swarm effect the smell
/ and taste Of the honey they gather
/ We know that bees, when they are dis
/ turbed, run out their stings, on the end
! OF which may be seen q tiny drop. This
/ little drop, as We have already said, is
/ bee poison, or formic acid When their
| disturbances are at an end they draw in
/ their stings again, but the little drop Of
/ liquid does not 90 back again, but it is
/ wiped off on the comb. and sooner or Ia
/ ter gets mixed up with the honey. This
I explains how honey from such excited
! bees must taste aud smell sharper than
( from the peaceable bees Excitable bees
1 will run off this little drop of formic
4 acid more frequently than other bees,
/ perhaps a larger drop is formed by neT-
/ yous bees than by those that are not
nervous bees, and hence the honey is
richer in formic acid. This acid is
/ never absent IN genuine honey, but the
amount differs. This contamination IS
/ not only uninjurious but very useful. in
/ fact necessary, for it keeps the honey
/ from spelling; we know, indeed, that
/ purified honey, from which the fOrmio
/ acid has been removed, very soon fer
ments, while purified honey viii keep
! unchanged for years. Nature furnish
/ es the ices with this knowledge Instinc-
! tively- and therefore they do not carry
/ this drop Of fornic acid away out Of the
| hive. Bee cCuuisseurs assure me chat
/ the bees add i TO the uec.aT which they
I collect that is free from it SO as to make
: it keep. and they do this IN places Where
they are not disturbed, too.
Bee stings are often spoken of in az
/ ricuituraI and popular papers as "a rem
! edy for rheumatic affections. and num-
/ eTous cures are adduced to prove it. II
/ the fOrmic acid that acc0mpau les the
/ sting can be looked upon as the priuci-
/ pie agent in the cure, it would be worth
/ while to try the experiment Of rubbing
! the SPOT with this acid or injecting it
! under the skin, 50 as TO avoid the some
/ what incOnyenient method of applying
I live bees.
Two hundred years ago formic acid
/ was made from the brown wood ants.
/ by triturating them with water and dis
/ tilling il. The acid liquid was used TO
| iritate the skin. The reddeniDg Of the
/ skin, Sy using baths of pine leaves. is
+ also due to the action of the fOrmic
acid. The anti-fermentative action OF
! formic acid has also long been recOgniz-
/ ed.
! As regards the Initiative action Of
/ stinging nettles and other similar veCe-
/ tables, it depends, as already stated, on
! its fOTmio acid. The point of the net
| ties is brittle as glass, and by the light
est touch penetrates the skin and then
breaks of, pouring out its acid and
| causes a burning sensation.
In this little notice frequent mention
/ has been made of formic action In
/ conclusion it may be mentioned that it
/ gets its name from the ant tformical be-
cause it was first found in them. IL il
had been found first in the bee or net
tie it would have received another name.
If an ant runs over a piece of blue lit
mus paper he viii leave a red streak.
Put a stick in an ant hill and he will
squirt strong acid on Scientific Anl-
e,-icut7