1. Persons who are much amongst Bees must now and then expect to
meet with a sting, although to myself it very rarely happens; never,
indeed, but when accidentally having laid my hand upon one, or when
having pressed one beneath the sleeve of my coat. "The sooner the
sting is extracted," says Dr. Bevan, "the less venom is ejected, and,
consequently, less inflammation induced." After extracting the sting,
I apply the least possible quantity of _liquor potassæ_, either with
a fine camel's-hair pencil, a sharp pen, or even with the point of a
needle. The venom of the Bee being an acid, this very powerful alkali
neutralises it; the pain is instantly removed, and neither swelling
nor inflammation follows. Care must be taken not to use too large a
quantity or a scar will be the consequence, which will last for some
days. Remember, the quicker the application the more effectual the cure.
2. The only _positive_ and _immediate_ cure for a Bee-sting that I have
ever heard of, and that may be depended on in all cases, is tobacco.
This remedy was recommended to me as an infallible cure; yet I had but
little faith in it: still I tried it, and, as I supposed, properly,
and found little or no benefit from its use. I reported its failure
to cure in my own case to my informant, and he stated that I had not
applied it thoroughly as I ought to have done; that he was certain
that it would be an effectual cure, never having known it to fail in
a single instance when correctly applied. The next time I got stung I
applied the tobacco as directed, and found it to cure like a charm.
The manner of applying it is as follows:--Take ordinary fine-cut
smoking or chewing tobacco, and lay a pinch of it in the hollow of your
hand, and moisten it and work it over until the juice appears quite
dark-coloured; then apply it to the part stung, rubbing in the juice,
with the tobacco between your thumb and fingers, as with a sponge. As
fast as the tobacco becomes dry, add a little moisture and continue to
rub, and press out the juice upon the inflamed spot, during five or ten
minutes, and if applied soon after being stung it will cure in 'every
case. Before I tried it, I was frequently laid up with swollen eyes and
limbs for days. Now it is amusing to get stung.--(_Miner's American
Bee-keeper's Manual._)