Beekeeping and Apitherapy

Piney Woods Journal Submission 2017


Issues related to the health of our bee and butterfly species continue to receive popular press attention. Pollinator protection has become a much higher-profile concern for many in states such as Louisiana. Organizations and associations devoted to addressing these concerns have been created, and their efforts deserve even broader support, given the importance of pollination to fruit, grain, and vegetable production.

I have commented previously in this journal and elsewhere about the increased popularity in recent years of beekeeping as a hobby and the growth of registered beekeepers in this state. People become interested and involved in beekeeping for many reasons. More folks are also visiting local farmers markets and grocery stores seeking raw, pure, local honey instead of purchasing honey that may well be imported, adulterated or blended with corn syrup or preservatives. Honey is just one, among many other food items, that are often part of a healthier, “farm-to-table” national trend.

A few people that I know or have just met became beekeepers for a quite different health-related reason. Certain maladies and diseases, including Lyme Disease and forms of arthritis, have been greatly aided by getting stung daily or frequently by honey bees. This apitoxin can also be injected. Some beekeepers and associated laboratories, mostly in Eastern Europe and the Far East, collect and refine the toxin sucreted by honey bees for medical or even cosmetic purposes. Apitoxin is an alternative to botoxin in some facial cosmetic products.

Apitoxin, though, is only one of many hive-related products. Much more commonly beekeepers collect other substances, and sell these to health-food stores. Propolis, or a resin that bees use to coat or insulate some hive surfaces, has antiseptic and medicinal properties. Pollen or “bee bread” can also be collected and sold, as well as royal jelly, a secretion of worker bees to feed emerging queen bees. Some beekeepers also take wax from bee comb and combine this with other ingredients to produce scented candles, lip balm and lotions. Beekeepers often supplement their sales of honey or their pollination fees by producing and offering these and other hive by-products.

The American Apitherapy Society through its web site provides information on hive-related alternatives for health care. Apitherapy is used to treat a growing list of illnesses and to alleviate pain from chronic and acute injuries. Detailed information is available on their web site and through their quarterly journal on emerging research, the large network of like-minded individuals sharing such knowledge, and those offering various apitherapy services.

This year I’m serving again as a board member and now as the secretary of the Louisiana Beekeepers Association. Some of our 17 local beekeeping clubs in the state have had speakers and programs on the topic of apitherapy, and plans exist now for this topic to be part of our 2017 annual state beekeeping convention in Pineville on November 30- December 2. Those at all interested in anything related beekeeping are encouraged to visit one of the 17 local clubs near them and attend our upcoming Pineville convention. If you have questions, you can certainly e-mail me at steve@labeekeepers.org.