Sting of Hive-Bees

Abstract

THE point raised by Dr. J. G. Myers, in NATURE of August 25, p. 290, regarding the ability of the hive-bee to withdraw its sting, is not a new one, and has elicited a letter of protest from a practical beekeeper, Mr. Z. B. H. Garrett, of Ingoldsby, Long-field, Kent. When bees are ‘induced to sting’ experimentally, they frequently extricate the sting as soon as the pressure or other inducement is relaxed. Naturally a bee can withdraw its sting from the soft tissues ofj say, a wax-moth larva more easily than from the thumb of the experimenter. Another point which is generally overlooked is the age of the stinging bee. Up to three days or more after emergence, young bees can scarcely be persuaded to use their stings. The typical stinging age, as was first shown by Rosch, is towards the end of the period of domestic duties, and on the eve of the outdoor foraging period. It is reasonable to surmise that the sting glands reach their maximum development at this period of the bee's life, just as the lateral pharyngeal glands do at a somewhat earlier stage—possibly to atrophy, as do the latter with advancing age. The stings received by the beekeeper as one of the hazards of his calling are given with a will by the guard bees, which are physiologically ripe for the job. Such bees make for the eyelids, nose, or the back of the neck, and seldom attempt to remove their stings, though the beekeeper should make a point of doing so, without squeezing the venom sac, at the earliest opportunity. It is otherwise with those bees that crawl up the sleeves or trouser legs. These have no malice prepense, and do not use their stings until they find themselves trapped by the pressure of the clothing or nervous movements on the part of the beekeeper. Such bees, if undamaged and given time, can often withdraw their stings and be coaxed out towards the light.