Bee venom turned out to be an excellent remedy. Traditional medicine has long used bee stings in the treatment of rheumatic and other diseases associated with colds.
The poison turned out to be effective in treating diseases of the nervous system and changes in the heart muscle. It also reduces inflammatory processes. People say about bees: " Whoever gets stung gets pity "From the depths of centuries another saying has come down to us - when a person wanted health, they often said: “May a bee sting you!”
Bee venom was known as a remedy in ancient times by the peoples of India, Babylon, and Egypt. Our ancestors, the Slavs, also used it. It has stood the test of time.
In scientific medicine, the first publications on the use of bee venom date back to the 19th century. Thus, in 1818, P.F. Gaidar reported the positive effect of using poison for rheumatism, diseases of the peripheral nervous system and obliterating endarteritis.
Now the properties of bee venom are being studied in laboratories and clinics, and many facts have accumulated that “vote” for even wider use of the poison in medicine.
Bee venom is a colorless, thick liquid with a sharp characteristic odor, reminiscent of honey, and a bitter, burning taste. It is a product of the secretory activity of the bee's poisonous glands.
Only worker bees and queen bees have stings and venom glands. Worker bees use their stings to protect their colony's nest from enemies. In the honey bee, poison begins to be released from 6-7 days of age, but is most actively produced at the age of 10-18 days. About 0.02 mg of poison accumulates in the bee's venom gland.
Bee venom is a means of defense. It has an acidic reaction. Specific gravity 1.131. Hardens quickly in air; in dry form for a long period does not lose its basic properties. At both low and high temperatures, the toxic properties of the poison are preserved. It is quickly inactivated under the influence of digestive enzymes and as a result of the activity of certain bacteria.
We started treating patients with bee venom preparations in the late 30s. The poison is most effective for rheumatic diseases, as well as diseases of the peripheral nervous system (radiculitis, neuritis, joint neuralgia, arthritis, spondylosis).
COMPOSITION OF BEE VENOM
Bee venom contains alamine, melitin, ten groups of phospholipases and hyaluronidases, which act, on the one hand, as a substance that calms the nervous system, and on the other, as a means of stimulating the heart and adrenal glands. Fractions of protein, fat, organic and mineral compounds, as well as free amino acids (cystine, lysine, arginine, alanine, methionine, histidine, tryptophan, serine, leucine, isoleucine), glutamic, aspartic, deoxyribonucleic and ribonucleic acids were isolated. A. Henschler (1954) established the presence of acetylcholine in the poison in high concentrations.
The lipoid fraction of the venom contains various odorous substances extracted with ether and sterols extracted with chloroform. According to N.M. Artemova (1951), among the mineral compounds there are up to 0.4% magnesium and a small amount of copper. There is the presence of up to 1% histamine.
In the protein fraction of bee venom, the structure of four fractions was identified: melittin, apamin, MSD-peptide and minimin, and the presence of enzymes was established - hyaluronidase and phospholipase A. Melittin consists of 26 amino acid residues of 12 amino acids and determines the main manifestations of the toxic effect of the poison: hemolysis of erythrocytes, dilation of blood vessels and lowering blood pressure, ganglion-blocking effect, contraction of smooth muscles of isolated organs, development of local inflammatory reactions, stimulation of the pituitary-adrenal system.
An important role in the toxic effect of the poison belongs to the following enzymes: hyaluronidase, which significantly changes the permeability of tissues, and phospholipase A, which causes inhibition of tissue dehydrases, inactivates thrombokinase, breaks down unsaturated fatty acids and causes the development of a hemolytic effect and cytolysis of other cells of the body.
Thus, bee venom is a complex of biologically active substances that has a versatile effect on the body.
OBTAINING BEE VENOM
In the 17th century, doctors dried and ground bees into powder, which they then mixed into their drink. Until recently, bee venom was obtained by the method of a live bee (that is, stinging), although this procedure is not a pleasant one.
From one bee you can get 0.4-0.8 mg of poison. The amount of poison depends on the age of the bee, the time of year, and the composition of its food. For example, bees produce the greatest amount of venom in spring and summer. Young bees have no or very little poison. By the age of two weeks, the amount of venom in a worker bee reaches its maximum, after which the poison gland gradually dies off.
Currently, there are several ways to obtain bee venom. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups: those leading to the death of the insect and those without it.
K. Kuzmina describes a method for euthanizing bees with ether. They are placed in a clean glass jar, which is covered with filter paper moistened with ether. Under the influence of ether, the bees release poison onto the bottom and walls of the jar and fall asleep. Once the bees are anesthetized, they are placed back into the hive. The jar is rinsed with distilled water, the liquid is filtered, and evaporated in a water bath. In this way, from 50 to 75 mg of poison are obtained from 1000 bees.
I.P. Ioirish recommends collecting bee venom on a glass slide. The bee is placed with its belly against the glass, it releases the poison while retaining its sting. You can pull out the stings, dry the poisonous glands and grind them into powder. The bee venom is then extracted by extraction (alcohol is used for this).
When treated with the sting method, the bee is taken with tweezers or fingers by the back and placed with its abdomen on the sore spot, previously washed with warm water and soap. The sting is removed after 5-10 minutes, i.e. after all the poison has entered the skin. The wound is lubricated with indifferent ointment. After a sting, the patient should lie down for 20-25 minutes. During treatment, urine and blood tests are performed once a week.
An approximate treatment regimen is as follows: on the first day, the patient is stung by one bee, then on each subsequent day one more bee is added. The course of treatment is 10-15 days, after which a break is taken for 3-4 days and the course is repeated again, but three times more bees are taken. In just two courses, the patient is stung by 180-200 bees. If there is no recovery or improvement in the patient’s condition, treatment with bee venom is stopped.
At the Research Institute
tute beekeeping is scientifically developed
substantiated technology for obtaining bees
raw poison in apiaries. Using
this technology, for one-time stimulation
you can get an average of 700 mg of high-
high-quality raw bee venom from
one family, and from a strong one - up to 1.5 years.
For bee families from which we plan
is trying to get poison, since spring they have been creating all
a set of conditions aimed at their
intensive growth and development. Particular attention
mania is given to the security of bees
have abundant and complete protein
food, since when selecting poison from bees
the protein and fat content in them decreases
body. In addition, only full-fledged
new protein nutrition of young bees in
largely determines the development of secretory
venom gland cells, amount of poison
and its biochemical composition (quality).
You can only get poison from families,
who have passed the period of change and overwintered
small bees and weighing at least 2.5 kg
(10 streets).
The venom gland reaches its greatest development in summer (July) bees; it is less in spring (May) and autumn (September) bees. The length of the venom gland, which characterizes the degree of its development, corresponds to the degree of aggressiveness of bees of different races. The greatest length of the gland is in Central Russians, the smallest in gray mountain Caucasian ones; Ukrainian bees occupy an intermediate position. Central Russian bees have developed glands from the first days of life, and in gray Caucasian mountain bees they reach their highest development by the 14th day.
The poison is soluble in water and vegetable oils. Heavier than water: relative density 1.8-1.13. Contains 30-48% dry matter. Freeze resistant. Destroyed by oxidizing agents (H2O2), ethyl alcohol, concentrated acids, alkalis, and sunlight.
In the central regions of Russia, bee venom should be obtained from the second half of May to the beginning of July and once immediately after the end of the main honey flow (late July - early August), which is determined by the biology of the bee colony and the physiology of the bees. The fact is that the degree of development of poisonous glands has a pronounced seasonal character. Bees of the summer generation have the maximum development
thick glands and the largest amount of poison in the large and small poisonous reservoirs
iron In bees of the autumn generation, the amount of poison in the body decreases.
Venom should be collected from bees at intervals of 12 days, which is determined by the duration of development of printed brood, the period of maximum accumulation of poison in the body of young bees, and the lifespan of the bees that released the poison.
After selection, a flying bee has a supply of poison
not restored due to degeneration
secretory cells of venom glands.
Frames are placed on both sides of the brood part of the nest at a distance of about 20 mm from the nearest comb or at a height of 10 mm from the bars of the nesting frames when collecting poison above the nest. The poison must be collected early in the morning.
rum 2 - 3 hours before the start of the bees' flight, when
honey crop contains minimal
amount of feed. Selection of venom from bees in
daytime hours leads to its strong
clogging with pollen grains, crystal-
lami of sugar that gets into the poisonous
prefabricated devices for regurgitation
holding a honey crop, which is worthy
truly reduces the quality of the poison.
Selection session duration
poison should not exceed 3 hours. Main
amount of poison (74.2%) is obtained per per-
the first hour of electrical stimulation of a bee colony.
After 3 hours of exposure to electrical current
no more than 10% of bees remain in the family,
who did not give away poison.
Optimal exposure mode
electric pulse current on
bees is as follows: voltage - 27 V,
pulse duration - 2 s, pau-
for - 3 s, frequency - 1000 Hz. In conditions
high humidity is reduced by
voltage up to 24 V, frequency up to 800 Hz, pro-
pulse duration up to 1 s, pauses
up to 1.5 s. In extremely dry conditions
air, on the contrary, increases the voltage
voltage up to 30 V, frequency up to 1200 Hz, pro-
pulse duration up to 3 s, pause
up to 4.5 s.
The duration of the pause should always be greater than the duration of the impulse, which gives the bee the opportunity to escape from repeated exposure
Venom collection devices are installed and removed without using smoke.
Maximum release of venom without injuring the bees and effective operation are ensured by venom selection devices, in which the electrodes are located at a distance of 3 mm, and the gap between the glass and the electrode is 0.5+0.1 mm (Fig. 80).
Rice. 80
Device for obtaining bee venom:
1 - poison receiving frame; 2 - upper and lower bars of the frame; 3 -
glass; 4 - battery; b- mectrostimulant.
It is important that the plane of the glass and
electrodes coincided over the entire area
framework.
Poison sampling frames should be installed two per slot (to the right and left of
brood part of the nest) and one on top
nests, this provides an increase in
the course of the poison is 3 - 4 times compared to the time
by placing one frame in the slot or above
nest.
Before setting up poison sampling
the mock needs to be formed in the nest
wells 50 mm wide to provide
make a street in the place where the poison sampling is installed -
20 mm wide devices.
Poison sampling devices are placed in
hives immediately before receiving
poison. On pre-installed devices
bees deposit wax and propolis,
therefore it is necessary to use protection
ny films. In this case, you can increase
The yield of poison should be 40 - 70%. Poison received-
under the film, has less moisture
ity and higher hemolytic
activity, contains 10 times less non-
soluble residues and 3.6 times less sugar compared to permissible
norms.
During the selection of poison from the hives, it is necessary
dimo remove insulation materials
and canvases. The poison is cleaned from glasses in a special
cial glazed box, which
protects the mucous membrane of the eyes and
operator's respiratory tract. Additional
The operator puts on a gauze bandage
ku covering the mouth and nose.
Several new bee venom preparations have been developed in medicine, the introduction of which into the pharmaceutical industry and medical practice will require at least 150-200 kg of high-quality raw bee venom annually. To meet this need, serious efforts are required by scientists, beekeepers, specialists in various fields, and procurement organizations in order to provide the entire range of organizational and technical measures for the production of this valuable bee product in mass quantities in apiaries. Unfortunately, even many specialists, not to mention amateur beekeepers, do not fully understand the technology for obtaining it. It is often interpreted very simplistically, they do not know or underestimate the changes in the physicochemical and biological properties of the poison during its production and storage, etc.
The chemical composition of bee venom changes as the bee ages. For example, the largest amount of melittin (the main polypeptide of bee venom, which determines many of its pharmacological properties) is secreted on the tenth day, and histamine - on the 35-40th day of the insect’s life. The level of hyaluronidase does not change significantly in the interval of 2-40 days. This can largely determine the technological features of obtaining bee venom, depending on the goals and objectives associated with the subsequent isolation of biologically active components from it.
Due to the rather high purchase price of bee venom, many inexperienced, often random people got involved in its procurement. Various handicraft devices have appeared for irritating bees in order to obtain a product, which, in principle, do not, according to their technical characteristics, provide it in mass quantities and of high quality without harm to the bees, which can cause irreparable damage to the industry.
Since 1980, 30 methods of producing bee venom using electricity have been proposed. All of them are based on the irritating effect of pulsed current on insects. It has been shown that with optimally selected parameters, such irritation does not reduce their life expectancy. Moreover, in the experiments of F.G. Musaev in 1982, in a number of cases, bees with selected poison lived two days longer. Under conditions of short-term systematic electrical stimulation of individuals, the strength of the family can increase, as the queen begins to lay eggs more intensively. This fact is associated with the fact that when bees are irritated by electric current, they become excited and become more active, as a result of which the temperature in the hive rises and the bees are encouraged to consume an increased amount of honey. This, in turn, increases the secretion of milk by nurse bees and increases the laying of eggs by the queen. Electrical stimulation has little effect on the family's medical productivity. However, according to A. S. Yakovlev et al. 1990, the selection of bee venom simultaneously in the nest and above the nest leads to a decrease in honey collection and weakening of bee colonies. Obviously, this issue needs additional research.
From a practical point of view, the greatest attention when using the method of electrical stimulation to select venom from bees is the choice of electrical stimulator. From a modern point of view, strict requirements are imposed on apistimulators, taking into account not only the range of technical characteristics and stability in field conditions, but also their adequacy (adaptability) in relation to the bee colony, taking into account the long-term consequences of irritating insects with electric current, for example, those associated with the effect of EMF on genetic apparatus of the uterus and drones. In this case, it is necessary to ensure the possibility of varying the parameters of the output voltage taking into account changes in weather (high humidity) and other conditions when the resistance of the bees’ body to electric current changes and their increased traumatic potential is possible.
There are good reasons to believe that the behavioral and other reactions of insects, with which poison production is closely related, largely depend on the duration of the pulse packet and their characteristics. Incorrectly selected irritation parameters, especially with prolonged exposure to electric current (more than two hours), can cause harm to the family. At the same time, one should not strive for the majority of bees, when using them in a complex manner (if the bee is not specifically designed to receive poison), to give up their poison.
A modern apistimulator must provide the ability to simultaneously connect almost any number of poison receivers to it through a switching device and have a “Quartz” installation to protect against overload of any channel. It is also possible to use an individual apistimulator for one poison receiver with an autonomous power source. Most often, in-hive venom receivers are used, although it is possible to obtain bee venom outside the hive using venom receivers of other modifications. They are often placed in the nest or on top of the nest in order to interfere with the life of the bee colony to a minimum extent. Moreover, the upper ones ensure the production of poison with a minimum amount of impurities. The most convenient and reliable are poison-receiving cassettes, in which the tension of current-carrying conductors is regulated. The distance from them to the poison glass should be no more than 1.0 mm. A molybdenum-nickel alloy with a wire diameter of 0.2 mm has proven to be the best material for a current-carrying contact grid. 
In all cases, when using the method of electrical stimulation in our country, bee venom is obtained using venom-receiving glass. In this case, the dried product is scraped off the glasses into dark-colored jars. This is usually done in a special box with holes for the hands, which protects the operator from the irritating effects of the volatile components of the poison. The dried product must be sifted through a nylon or metal strainer with a cell size of about 0.3-0.5 mm. The amount of foreign macroimpurities in the poison should not exceed 3%.
According to most experts, the most favorable time for obtaining poison is the early morning hours (about 2 hours before the bees fly). The duration of stimulation is 0.5-2 hours with selected stimulation parameters taking into account weather conditions, the breed of bees, their physiological state, the strength of the colony, the number of venom receptacles in the hive and their design. To increase the activity of bees, various moderate irritating chemical and physical factors are used. The greatest effectiveness was shown by irritation of bees under conditions of electrical stimulation by the action of an electric field. At the same time, toxicity increases.
It is recommended to receive this product in dry, warm weather with the frequency of irritating bees with electric current once every two weeks (no more than once every ten days). During the honey harvest period (the main harvest), poison is not taken from the bees. For one stimulation under optimal conditions, you can get up to 1 g of product from a colony without harm to insects, and for the entire season - up to 5 g.
Particular attention should be paid to organizational and technical measures in preparation for the production of bee venom in apiaries. Beekeeper operators must be well trained in special technological techniques and carry out all work under the control of the beekeeper with his direct participation. Preparatory work should include organizing a laboratory for the primary processing of poison, where it is cleaned and dried at a temperature of no more than 40°C on poison-receiving glasses. Final drying is carried out in open bottles in a desiccator over calcium chloride. The poison, brought to a constant weight, is stored in well-packed orange or dark glass jars in a cool, dry place. This product should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Poison that is not fully dried (humidity above 10%) rots and loses its activity, which is revealed when evaluating it organoleptically and in other ways. It is necessary to follow the safety rules when using an electrical stimulator powered by an alternating current network, have a first aid kit to provide first aid in case of multiple bee stings and the development of allergic reactions. If necessary, you should immediately consult a doctor. You should use a respirator to remove poison from glass to avoid irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and the development of allergies.
Testing samples of this bee product and monitoring its quality is a mandatory part of the entire technological process. Unfortunately, a single all-Union standard that meets international standards has not been developed, so it is necessary to focus on the republican technical conditions and pharmacopoeial monograph, which require significant additions. The biological activity of bee venom samples should be assessed on the basis of modern ideas about its chemical composition based on a set of biological and physicochemical methods that determine the specific effect. A mandatory test should be the determination of general toxicity, which is an integral characteristic reflecting the biological activity of the poison. It should be borne in mind that the determination of enzymatic activity (phospholipase, hyaluronidase, etc.) is a mandatory, but not always sufficient test, since, for example, high phospholipase activity does not necessarily go along with high general toxicity and a high content of the main polypeptide components . Biological tests (hemolytic, microbiological, etc.) can significantly complement the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of bee venom samples.
It should be taken into account that Western companies have strict requirements for the presence of heavy metal impurities, radioactive contamination, etc. in bee venom.
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| Raiymbek |
Until now, in the vast majority of apiaries in our country, only a few beekeepers have been involved in the mass production of raw bee venom. The main reason for this is the lack of scientifically proven technology for mass production of poison without damaging the further life of bees and reducing the productivity of colonies for honey and wax. In addition, the country has not established the production of serial complex equipment used in the mass extraction of bee venom; beekeepers were not sufficiently informed and poorly prepared to master the technologies for producing poison existing in other countries.
Currently, many methods for obtaining bee venom are described in the literature, which served as the basis for the development of scientifically based technology for its extraction in apiaries. Based on the principle of irritation of bees, the proposed devices for collecting bee venom are divided into two large groups - mechanical and electrical. The use of the vast majority of devices with a mechanical method of irritating bees to take venom causes their death.
Initially, the method of obtaining poison, proposed by F. Flury (1920), was based on the fact that bees were forced to sting a fibrous mass, from which the poison was then extracted with various solvents. He also proposed placing a significant number of bees in a glass vessel with a drop of ether. The vessel was covered with film. The ether vapors irritated the bees, and before falling into a narcotic state, they released the poison, leaving it on the walls of the vessel and on the bodies of the bees. Then the walls of the vessel and the bees’ bodies were washed with distilled water, in which the poison was dissolved. After evaporating the water, 50-75 mg of heavily contaminated poison was obtained from 1000 bees.
P. M. Komarov and A. S. Ershtein (1936) proposed a method for obtaining a purer poison. Using thin eye tweezers, they slightly removed the sting from the chamber, after which the venom began to flow automatically, while the tip of the sting was pressed against the surface of the glass slide, on which the venom quickly dried after pouring out. Poison from 50-100 bees was applied to one glass. The poison on the glasses was stored in a desiccator, where it retained its properties for a long time.
Another long-known method of obtaining poison is the forced stinging of animal film by bees. The type of film most often used was the bladder of a pig or. film taken from the scrotum of a sheep. When using this method, a wide-necked vessel was filled to the top with sterile water and tied with film. The sting, piercing the film, got stuck and remained in it, and the poison poured directly into the water, which was then evaporated.
However, all these methods of obtaining poison are not widely used in practical beekeeping, as they have a number of significant drawbacks. Firstly, they are all associated with the death of bees due to the separation of their stinging apparatus, and this leads to the weakening of colonies and a decrease in their biological potential for the production of honey and wax. Secondly, they are ineffective and labor-intensive, i.e., they are associated with significant costs for an unproductive beekeeper. And finally, as N.M. Solodukho (1969) showed, when collected in a liquid medium, the poison quickly undergoes bacterial decay and loses its activity, and the use of other methods makes it possible to obtain the poison in a very contaminated state.
A turning point in the development of technology for mass production of bee venom occurred approximately 35 years ago, when a method for producing venom by “milking” bees was proposed. It consists in the fact that in any apiary during the active beekeeping season, bees are irritated with a pulse of weak electric current, forcing them to sting the glass. The droplets of poison on the glass quickly dry out and then it is scraped off.
Thus, in Czechoslovakia, Markovic and Monkar (1954) proposed a device that forces a large group of bees to sting simultaneously after irritating them with a mild electric current. This device consisted of glass with electrodes lying on it parallel to each other at a distance of several millimeters. The device was installed at the entrance on the landing board. Bees leaving and entering the hive touched the electrodes and closed the electrical circuit, being exposed to a weak electric current. As a result of this irritation, they began to sting, the sting touched the glass, and a drop of poison remained on it, quickly drying up, while the bee did not lose its sting and didn't die.
Somewhat later, independently of Markovich and Monkar, the Bulgarian beekeeper innovator Ilko Lazov also designed a similar device for obtaining bee venom. The device was a rectangular getinax plate, the long sides of which were fixed in a wooden frame. Steel wire was wound onto the frame at a distance of 2-6 mm turn from turn so that there was a grounded wire near each voltage wire. Glass plates were placed on both sides of the getinax plate under the coils of wire. The device was also installed on the entrance to the hive and its operating principle was the same as that of its colleagues from Czechoslovakia. Practical tests of this device have shown that it is acceptable for use, but has serious drawbacks. First of all, the poison on the glass is heavily contaminated with debris from bees’ feet and sugars, and the presence of a large amount of sugars in the poison negatively affects its biological activity. In addition, bees avoid walking on glass with electrodes in every possible way, which prevents them from receiving a significant amount of poison.
In 1963, the Americans Benton, Morse, and Stewart published a diagram of their electric shock device for producing bee venom. It differed from previous devices in its more complex design. When used, contact of bees with the resulting poison was eliminated. This was achieved using nylon fabric stretched between the glass and the electrodes. The poison accumulated on the underside of the nylon fabric and on the glass placed underneath it. The bee venom obtained using this installation was pure, without any by-products, but its quantity was noticeably smaller.
Employees of Gorky, now Nizhny Novgorod, State University (N.M. Artemov, I.G. Solodukho, 1965) proposed using a film from the serous membrane of the intestines of cattle to obtain bee venom. To obtain poison, two or three sheets of filter paper are placed in a special receiver bag, the top layer of which is a serous film, and the bottom layer is cellophane. Such a package is placed in a special device into a colony, where it is stung by up to 500 bees. When stinging, the bee's sting pierces the film, gets tightly stuck in it, and the bee tears it off. This ensures that the venom is completely obtained from each bee. The poison is collected in filter paper. One bag contains poison from 5,000 bees. This method of extraction completely eliminates contamination of the poison by by-products. Then the filter paper is removed from the bag, dried and stored dry.
The poison is extracted from paper in pharmaceutical factories by extraction with water followed by lyophilization, i.e. freezing. At a low temperature of water evaporation, lyophilization of the poison occurs directly from the ice, bypassing the liquid fraction. Pure poison is sealed in ampoules and stored indefinitely without noticeable loss of biological activity. Lyophilized bee venom serves as a raw material for the pharmaceutical industry.
The described method of obtaining poison is very labor-intensive - a beekeeper and an assistant in one working day are able to select poison in this way from only five families of bees. For this reason, it has not found wide practical application.Currently, many different devices have been created for obtaining bee venom in apiaries, although the search for more advanced devices continues intensively. There are a large number of electronic pulse generators with different characteristics in terms of basic parameters: power, output voltage, pulse frequency, duration of pulse trains, duration of pauses between pulse trains, pulse amplitude, etc. In order to obtain a better quality poison, the search for various films and the improvement of selection devices continue poison and its cleaning from glasses. The most optimal modes and methods of venom selection are sought (outside the hive, at the entrance outside the hive, in a nest among honeycombs, on top of the nest or under the nest), the influence of venom selection from bees in various ways on the productivity of families for honey and wax, as well as on such remote consequences, like wintering bees.
In modern technology for obtaining bee venom in apiaries, a set of equipment for collecting it consists of a battery, an electrical stimulator, venom collection frames or cassettes, a switch, a coil, wires, containers for transporting venom collection frames and glasses, a dryer for glasses with poison, a box and devices for purifying the poison
The principle of operation of electrical stimulators is based on the conversion of direct current into pulsed current. Direct electric current from a power source (12-volt battery) is supplied to the converter. The frequency of the pulses generated by the converter is 1.0±0.2 kHz. From the output winding of the transformer, the signal is supplied through a switch to the poison collecting frames. The operation of the converter is controlled by a locking circuit, which is an electronic key that records the duration of a burst of pulses and a pause.
POISON PROTECTION
Bees produce poison inside their bodies to protect themselves. Only female bees, that is, the queen bee and worker bees, have a sting. Drones cannot sting. The composition of bee venom can change throughout the year, as it depends on the diet and age of the insect.
Receipt
Bee venom is widely used for medicinal purposes. In midsummer, usually in July and August, the bees are “milked” using an electric current. This happens as follows: directly under the roof of the hive, a glass plate with copper wire is placed directly on the frames. The wire is connected to the battery and pulsator and thus connected to the electric current. The bees don't like the current, so they start attacking it violently and stinging it. Since they cannot stick their sting into the glass, the poison is simply sprayed out. This leaves blots of protein liquid on the glass. After 20-30 minutes, most bees leave their venom.
A sticky yellowish coating forms on the glass plate, which can be scraped off with a blade. This procedure greatly irritates the bees, but does not kill them if the current is dosed correctly. Usually the poison is collected only in hives located far from housing, since the bees then become aggressive and sting more often. The bee venom obtained in this way is prepared and processed for a variety of purposes, for example as an injection solution, an additive for ointments, and an active ingredient in tablets.
How dangerous is bee venom?
Venom is the most feared bee product, as so many people are afraid of a bee sting. Firstly, it is painful, and secondly, there is a danger of an allergic reaction and the anaphylactic (that is, allergic) shock caused by it. Fortunately, very severe, fatal reactions to bee venom are quite rare (a wasp sting is much more likely to cause anaphylactic shock). On the other hand, bee venom is a substance that, due to its many-sided positive effects, is even more interesting from a pharmacological point of view than propolis.
Toxic effect of venom Bee venom becomes toxic only when a very large dose enters the body. I myself saw a beekeeper who had more than 300 stings removed after he was once attacked by a bee colony due to some mistake in his handling of insects. After he overcame his fear, he was no longer found to have any health problems. Of course, this person was already accustomed to bee venom, otherwise such a number of stings would most likely initially cause severe swelling, and then, possibly, problems with blood circulation. For people who have never encountered bees, usually even several stings at the same time do not pose any particular danger. Likewise, swarming bees, as a rule, do not pose any increased danger if they are not disturbed. In general, bees are by nature peaceful creatures, since they pay for their sting with their lives.
COMPOSITION AND MECHANISM OF ACTION
The main component of bee venom is melitin, its share is 50-60%. Phospholipase A, hyaluronidase, MSD peptide (peptide 401), apamin and histamine make up the second part of this yellowish solution. Melitin has a very strong anti-inflammatory effect and can protect cells from destruction in severe inflammation. Apamin increases the production of cortisol by the body itself and thereby also exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, but at the same time it is a nerve poison. Hyaluronidase improves cellular metabolism, primarily in connective tissues and synovial fluid. Histamine dilates blood vessels, thus activating blood supply.
BEE VENOM APPLICATION:
Even in ancient times, people knew about the healing effect of bee venom. In the years between the two world wars, intensive scientific research was carried out. Then many poisons of animal origin became the subject of keen interest of biologists and pharmacologists: in particular, they were tested for practical usefulness for therapeutic purposes. After 1940, the passions around bee venom subsided, and today they are completely forgotten.
Bee venom ointment
In the second half of the 20th century, experiments were carried out, as a result of which an anti-inflammatory and analgesic ointment with bee venom forapin, also known as apizartron, was created, which was used for many years with great success. This is a miracle remedy that mainly helped with rheumatic pain and chronic arthritis.
In Germany today it is almost impossible to purchase this product, since it has practically ceased to be produced. But in Eastern European countries, pharmacists have preserved their traditions of using beekeeping and naturopathy products: there you can buy ointment with bee venom in almost every pharmacy and every market. Such a remedy, in my deep conviction, should definitely be in the home medicine cabinet.
Bee venom injections
Natural bee stings are always preferable if the patient is known to not be allergic to bee venom and if they have the courage to voluntarily allow themselves to be stung. But even in this case, you should always do an allergy test before starting treatment!
In Western European countries, you can buy imported preparations with bee venom (from Canada, Argentina and Georgia), but only with a doctor’s prescription, having previously ordered from a pharmacy. Doctors and healers in neural therapy (this method involves administering local painkillers to the patient in order to identify diseases, relieve pain and treat) use such solutions for injections.
Apipunktura (bee stinging acupuncture points) is popular in Asian countries. In this treatment, the sting of the bee is taken along with the poisonous vesicle and used as an acupuncture needle. This method is gentler for patients than natural bee stinging, but despite this, it is very effective. In this case, the bee naturally dies, so some people refuse such treatment.
Other Applications
In France, England and New Zealand you can buy honey with the addition of bee venom. It is believed that bee venom is absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth. In countries of Central and South America they also offer drops, tablets or capsules for administration under the tongue, which need to be bitten. But, to be honest, I didn’t have to try them.
In some African countries, as well as in Asian countries, tinctures are prepared from whole bees. But alcohol neutralizes bee venom. So, when using an alcohol extract from whole bees, no active bee venom remains, even if a stinging apparatus was used.
Application area
Preparations with bee venom have a beneficial effect on many chronic degenerative processes in our musculoskeletal system. This includes, for example, arthrosis, rheumatism or sciatica of the lumbar region. The same goes for chronic inflammatory diseases that are usually treated with cortisone, such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or multiple sclerosis.
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