The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-02-01
Effects OF Stings in the Animal and Veg.
etable Kingdom.

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It is well known that the effect of a
singing nettle on the skin agrees very
closely with the sensation produced by
| the sting of bee or wasp. But the great
similarity is not limited to the feelings
it causes, bat, whatsmay not be so well
known, the cause of the Irritation pro-
| duced on the skin is essentially the same.
1t may be considered as definitely set
| tied that formic acid is present in the
| poison sac of the bee sting, in the So
called bee poison. The same corrosive
| acid also occurs in the sting of the net
tie. Some species of caterpillars have
| fermic acidin some of their hairs, which
| they seem to be able to shake off at win,
and when person touches such cater
| pillar the poison penetrates the skin
wherever it is moist and causes burning,
itching and inflammation. These poi
sonouS members preserve their irritating
powers even after the death of the worm.
| This accounts for reliable statements
that visitors to collections OF caterpiIlars
have suffered from exanthematous erup-
tons on the neck 'sMany hairy cater
pillars caase itching and burning of the
skin when touched, and sometimes it
gives rise to swelling and redness, This
depends on the fine'hafrs, which produce
the same effect when they float around
| in the air. Many ladies who visited the
| caterpillar room of the naturalist Reau-
muir had a breaking out on the neck"
/ In the sting of the bee. wasp, hornet,
etc., minute drop of transparent
liquid may be. observed on the sting, and
txa1
penetrates into the wound produced by
the sting, and causes the well known
| effects. It would, however, be a great
| mistake to assume that the only OBJ
| ject of this is to increase the effect of the
sting, that is, that it serves onlytei in
| jure. It has a far more important pur-
pose, namely to prevent fermentation
and decay. The celebrated bee .cultiva-
tor, Holz reports that in his long ex-
perience with honey, that which came
! from what are called ''raneorous
swarns' (boshaft) had peculiar prop
| critics. It always had bitter, harsh
taste, aud its smell was, sharp, too.
How can the character of the swarm
| affect the smell and taste of the honey
they gather? We know that bees, when
they are disturbed, run out their stings,
on the end of which NAV be seen tiny
drop. This little drop, as we, have al
ready said, is bee poison, or forrnic acids
When their disturbance is at an end
they draw in their stings again, but the
little drop of liquid does not go back
with it, but is wiped of on the comb,
and sooner or later gets mixed up with.
the honey. This explains how honey
from such excited bees must taste and
smell sharper than from peaceable bees.
Excitable bees will rub off this little
drop of formic acid more frequently than
other bees; perhaps a larger drop is
formed by nervous bees than by those.
that are not nervous, and hence the
honey is richer in formic acid. This
acid is never absent in genuine honey,
but the amount differs. This contami-
nation is not only uninjurous but very
useful, in fact necessary, for it keeps the
honey from spelling; we know, indeed,
that purified honey, from which the
forniic acid has been, removed, very
soon ferments, while unpurified honey
will keep unchanged for years. Nature
! furnishes the bees with this knowledge
instinctively, and therefore they do not
carry this drop of fornnic acid away out
of the hive. Bee eonnoisseurs assure
me that the bees add it to the nectar
which they 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 agri-
cultural and popular papers as a remedy
| for rheumatic affections, and numerous
cures are adduced to prove it. If the
fornic acid that accompanies the sting
can be looked upon as the principal
agent in the cure, it would be worth
while to try the experiment of rubbing
the spot with this acid or injecting it un-
der the skin, SO as to avoid the some
what ineonvenient method of applying
live bees
Two hundred years ago formic acid
was made from the brown wood ants, by
Titurating them with water and dis:ill-
ing it. The acid liquid was used to iri-
tate the skin. The reddening OF the
skin, by using baths of pine leaves, is
also due TO the action of the formic Ncid.
The anti-fermentative action of foimic
acid has also long been recognized.
As regards the Initiative action of sting
ing nettles and other similar vegetables.
it depends, as already stated, On its
formic acid. The point of the nettles
is brittle as glass, and by the lghtest
touch penetrates the skin and breaks off.
pouring out its acid and causing the
burning sensation.
In this little notice frequent mention
has been made of formic acid. In con-
clusion it may be stated that it gets its
name from the ant (formica), because it
was first found in them. lift had been
found first in the bee or nettle it would
have received another name. If an ant
runs ovsr piece of blue litmus. paper
he viii lsave red streak. Put a stick
in an snG-hill and they win SQUIRT strong
acid on it.-Prof. Eogst. ~ ScientiSc
Americaa.
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a IAN American says that, from his
late experieree of English weather, be
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