Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

Covid and bee stings

5K views 22 replies 16 participants last post by  squarepeg 
#1 ·
#10 ·
Beekeepers who tolerate bee stings are not protected against SARS-CoV-2 infections

Highlights
• Among German beekeepers, we found two coronavirus-associated deaths and 45 cases of coronavirus infection.
• Previous exposure to bee venom does not seem to reduce susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2.
• Reaction to bee stings correlates with the perceived severity of the SARS-CoV-2 symptoms: exhaustion and sore throat.

Abstract
A survey on 5115 beekeepers and 121 patients treated with bee venom by an apitherapy clinic in the Hubei province, the epicenter of COVID-19 in China, reported that none of the beekeepers developed symptoms associated with COVID-19, the new and devastating pandemic. The hypothesis that immunity to bee venom could have a preventive effect was expressed and the authors of the Chinese survey suggested that the next step should be animal experiments on monkeys.

We believed that before starting such studies, a second independent survey should verify the findings and define the hypothesis more clearly. Thus we asked all German beekeepers to complete an assessment form which would summarize their experiences with COVID-19. In contrast to the Chinese study we found that two beekeepers had died from a SARS-CoV-2 infection and forty-five were affected. The reaction to bee stings (none; mild swelling; severe swelling) correlated with the perceived severity of the SARS-CoV-2-infection-associated symptoms - exhaustion and sore throat. Beekeepers comorbidity correlated with problems with breathing at rest, fever, and diarrhea.

Our results did not confirm the findings of the Chinese study. However, since the antiviral effects of bee venom have been found in several studies, we cannot exclude that there could be a direct preventive or alleviating effect when bee venom is administered during the infection.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041010120304086

Beekeepers who tolerate bee stings are not protected against SARS-CoV-2 infections, Heidrun Männle, Jutta Hübner, Karsten Münstedt, Toxicon, Volume 187, November 2020, Pages 279-284, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.10.004
 
#11 ·
#14 ·
Wow hog wash.
I've been stung with in the last 2 week............... guess who got Covid Last Thursday !
Sorry I didn't click on your link as I don't ever click links from someone knew who just joined.
I don't understand why you need to "my results quickly and discreetly ".
There are take home tests? And if you weren't sick then why did you test?
Anyway
 
#18 ·
back to the topic
stings "challenge" the immune system.
like a muscle when challenged it gets stronger.
A stronger Immune system is better, than a weak one.
the couple years I did not have bees I did catch more stuff from the kids in day care and school.
at work often others had stuff I did not get it or only had slight symptoms.

IMO stings are a benefit.
I did see some research on breast cancer and venom.

so i feel get a few you are likely better off than not getting stung, of course setting aside the allergy folks.

GG
 
#19 ·
If I recall correctly, bee venom stimulates an immunoglobin "E" response. Immunoglobin E is not involved in response to viruses.
So it does challenge the immune system and make it stronger (sortof) but it is like doing curls to strengthen your abs. Not likely to help.

However, I am mostly pretending to know what I'm talking about....

It seems pretty doubtful bee venom is an effective antiviral.
 
#20 ·
It seems pretty doubtful bee venom is an effective antiviral.







seems there is some research to the contrary.

GG
 
#22 ·
IMO
since Venom cannot be "patented" there is little interest, from the Bayers of the world.
if proven to work, many paying $$ drug customers may be enticed to find a bee keeper and use Api Therapy.
Patented $$ drugs will get the gas light and bee venom, is "unproven" "untested" "potentially dangerous"
Same way they ran the supliment people out of town.

I read I think in the book "Hive and the Honey bee" 20 years ago,, they did a survey of over 100 Year olds in either Germany or Austria (survey was in the 1950's) and 70% were bee keepers, or a sibling was a bee keeper. many poor. they inferend the pollen and propolis and honey "helped" but the book was written long ago and perhaps the Venom angle was not yet understood.
was an odd metric, very hard to cherry pick.

I'll eat my honey, propolis, pollen, and maybe drone brood, and the odd queen cell, and I do take a few stings.
Maybe it will compensate some for my wild misspent youth.

there is too much written on "bees" and hive products, starting in the Pyramids, for it all to be noise.

GG
 
#23 ·
covid is one of those topics that is almost inherently political. the discussion is borderline tailgater material, but we'll let it roll for now. let's please try to stay on the topic of bee venom and how it relates to covid and avoid politcal references. many thanks all.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top