Is it really possible for manukadr to get bee venom without killing the bees?

[happyliza]

The other day I was given a free lip balm when purchasing some items in Holland & Barrett. On reading the product blurb from the packaging it stated that they use purified bee venom in many of their products (patented). They have a video of the process on their site below:

http://www.manukadr.co.nz/purified-bee-venom

Is ait really possible to obtain the venom without killing the bees? I thought if a bee strung once then it died or is that an old wive's tale? Or are they trying to fool the gullible and are not as natural as they wish to make out?

Apart from that I quite liked the ingredients that they use - if they really are all natural. But as usual quite pricey. Perhaps on looking for an alternative face cream we may be better off just using pure coconut oil? I read about shea butter in one thread here and think it is good to be able to make our own creams.

Does anyone have a good recipe that is ideal for sensitive skins? I know we have the great diet for inside out purification. Just with sun and wind etc it is maybe best to have something healthy as a barrier and skin food. Just asking.

 

[Mal7]

Is ait really possible to obtain the venom without killing the bees? I thought if a bee strung once then it died or is that an old wive's tale?

It seems that if a bee stings the skin of a mammal, the barb on the sting gets stuck in the skin and the sting is pulled out of the bee and the bee dies. But the bee can sting something like a glass surface, or another insect, and release venom without losing its sting.

Although it is widely believed that a worker honey bee can sting only once, this is a partial misconception: although the stinger is in fact barbed so that it lodges in the victim's skin, tearing loose from the bee's abdomen and leading to its death in minutes, this only happens if the skin of the victim is sufficiently thick, such as a mammal's. Honey bees are the only hymenoptera with a strongly barbed sting, though yellow jackets and some other wasps have small barbs.

Bees with barbed stingers can often sting other insects without harming themselves. Queen honeybees and bees of many other species, including bumblebees and many solitary bees, have smooth stingers and can sting mammals repeatedly.

- _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_sting

1. How is bee venom collected?

Since the middle 1950s, the electric shock method has been used to stimulate
the bees to sting. The collector frame is usually placed at the entrance of
the hive and connected to a device which supplies electrical impulses.
The collector frame is made from wood or plastic and holds a wire grid.
Underneath the wires is a glass sheet which can be covered with a plastic or
rubber material to avoid contamination of the venom. During collection,
bees come in contact with the wire grid and receive a mild electric shock.
They sting the surface of the collector sheet as they see this to be the
source of danger. The venom is then deposited between the glass and the
protective material where it dries and is later scraped off.

2. Does venom collection kill bees?

Bee venom can be collected without killing bees. During the 1950s and 1960s,
venom collectors used a thick rubber sheet to collect bee stingers. The bees
stung in to the rubber sheet after receiving an electric shock and would lose
their stingers; as a result they died. Compared to modern methods this
collection technique is considered uneconomical. The newer collector devices
and methods are safe and do not harm bees. During 30 minutes of collection
time a well adjusted collector device will not kill more than 10 bees per hive.

- _http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/agriculture/entomology/beekeeping/general/venom_therapy/bevenfaq.html

 

[happyliza]

Thank you for this helpful information Mal7. So a few do die in the process plus I would think that even a mild electric shock on a regular basis when entering the hive would disorient a bee let alone cause it stress to say the least. Most of which the cause is all in the name of 'beauty' or vanity of the population. The only possible use that venom could be genuinely useful is to save lives ie as an antidote or something. IMO. Always the 'quick fix' versus the natural healthy way ie proper diet.

 

[Horseofadifferentcolor]

I can not understand why anyone would willingly put venom on their lips. This to me sounds insane. Is it to plump the lips?

I think I would throw it in the trash, regardless of how humane or not the extraction process of getting the venom is. Bees have a much more important role in this world and should be cherished in my opinion.

 

[Mrs.Tigersoap]

I can not understand why anyone would willingly put venom on their lips. This to me sounds insane. Is it to plump the lips?

I don't know for this particular product but it is indeed used in the beauty industry to plump the lips.

Does anyone have a good recipe that is ideal for sensitive skins?

You will have to try and see for yourself, as oils, creams and butters, however natural and organic, can always cause reactions. Some members have experienced good results with coconut oil, shea butter or argan oil. But these are all made from nuts, so it's not for everyone. It really depends on your skin and what it can tolerate.

 

[RGG]

I've read that beef tallow is an excellent moisturizer because of its compatibility with your own biology- we aren't plants after all ;). here's an article that explains a bit:

_http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/traditional-nourishing-and-healing-skin-care

I have some lovely organic beef tallow in my freezer and plan to render it for this use as soon as i find a compatible, skin safe essential oil to give it a nice fragrance (I'm not too keen on smelling like steak ).

I'll update here when I manage it.

 

[HowToBe]

Regarding tallow, I also discovered an article about tallow for skin care which I posted about here: http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,33601.0.html