Frankly, we
have been puzzled lately by more frequent requests by people that offer to buy
live bees for the purpose of practicing Apitherapy. Usually, they want
to purchase just five or six live worker bees to follow the practice of
stinging themselves for the possible health benefits they can derive from the
stings. Most beekeepers would think, ok, sure, why not? That is until you start
thinking about the liability.
Although I
have no argument about the practice, I always ask if they have consulted a
medical doctor and if they know what they are doing. Bee venom can be very
dangerous to people who are not guided by a registered Allergists or Apitherapists.
The good
news is that they do not have to buy bees. Bees are abundant and available, if
you know how to work with their behaviors. If you want to gather worker bees, simply
put out a Petri sized dish, with a wash cloth liner, and pour in a mixture of
honey and water. Honey will ferment quickly on its own if you don’t add water –
experiment with the mixture considering evaporation and heat.
Using the
maxim from the movie “Field of Dreams: if you build it they will come,” in
several hours, you should have bees at your mini feeding station. Next, simply
put a wide mouthed jar over the station and, as the bees rise, simply remove
the jar and cap it. Provide ventilation holes in the cap.
If you are
having trouble attracting bees to your station, consider changing the mixture
of honey and water, then, if it still does not work, use an old beekeeper’s
trick to attract them quickly to a new commercial feeding station. Burn a
little honeycomb in a 10oz can nearby.
Please
remember, also, that dead bees can sting as long as they are wet and not dried
out.
I hope this
helps our apitherapy friends, please, just be careful.
No comments:
Post a Comment