This same theory has been suggested many times by our most advanced
American bee-keepers. It has been hinted that this same formic acid was
what made honey a poison to many people, and that the sharp sting of
some honey, notably that from bass wood or linden, originated in this
acid from the poison sac. If this is the correct explanation, it seems
strange that the same kind of honey is always peculiar for greater or
less acidity as the case may be. We often see bees with sting extended
and tipped with a tiny drop of poison; but how do we know that this
poison is certainly mingled with the honey? Is this any more than a
guess?--_A.J. Cook, in Psyche_.
* * * * *