Having some familiarity with the topic of bee venom therapy, aka apitherapy, we were intrigued by a recent request by a woman in Rochester who was suffering the effects of Lyme disease. She had done some research into the use of honeybee venom and wanted to start stinging herself to treat her symptoms.
Could we supply her with honeybees on a regular basis? Of course we could!
It looks like our new customer will become a regular. Her goal is to self-administer the stings three times a week, with up to 15 stings in each session. She is under the supervision of an acupuncturist, and so far, she says, her symptoms are improving.
Although we don’t offer apitherapy services at Kettle Ridge Farm, the process of stinging is fairly straightforward: grab the bee behind the head with forceps and swipe its stinger on your skin. Presto, you’ll have bee venom pumping into your system in no time.
Just don’t try stinging yourself without having an epipen on hand. Although very few people have an anaphylactic reaction to honey bee stings, you never know if you are one of the few.