Bee Venom

Bee venom is a complex combination of chemical substances produced by the worker and queen honeys bees.  The venom is used together with parts of the bee’s anatomy (called the “sting apparatus”) to sting intruders in defence of the honey bee colony.  Drone (male) honey bees do not produce venom and do not have a sting apparatus.

Bee venom is produced in the venom (or acid) gland of the bee, and is stored in an adjacent sac in the bee’s abdomen.  The amount of venom a bee has depends on its age.  Newly hatched bees don’t have any venom at all, but the amount increases rapidly for the first two weeks of a worker bee’s life, reaching a plateau of about 0.3mg (dry weight).

When we get stung by a bee, the stinger sticks in our skin.  The stinger has two sides, and along the outside edges there are a series of barbs that look a bit like the ends of fish hooks.  These barbs hold the stinger into the skin.  At the same time, the venom sac begins to pump the venom down the centre of the stinger and out the end under the skin.  The pumping action of the sac also moves the two sides of the stinger back and forth, causing the barbs to catch in the skin and pull the end of the stinger even deeper.

If a bee stings tough skin (eg a human’s) the whole apparatus pulls out the abdomen of the bee.  The venom sac is pulled out with it and it keeps pumping venom until it runs out.  Because the removal of the sting apparatus ruptures the bee’s abdomen, the bee dies within a short period of time.  If a bee stings you, you can’t do anything to save the bee’s life, but you can reduce the amount of venom that gets into your body by scratching the stinger out of your skin with your finger nail as soon as possible.  Remember to scratch away from the direction the stinger is going into your skin, and make sure not to squeeze the venom sac (which will inject even more venom into you).

Beekeepers have invented a collection device for venom that doesn’t kill the bees.  The device consists of a glass sheet that is put on the bottom of the beehive.  The glass sheet conducts a gentle electric current.  When the current is turned on, bees that are on the sheet automatically stick out their stingers, and the action of the muscles pushing the stinger also pumps a small amount of venom out the end of the sting.  This venom falls on the glass where it is collected by the beekeeper, he then freeze-dries it to ensure the venom’s bioactive materials don’t oxidise and decompose.  It takes one million sting deposits on a collector board to make 1g of dry venom.

Approximately 88% of liquid venom straight from the bee is actually water, so dry venom is a much more concentrated form of the product.  There are a number of other components in bee venom, and 18 have so far been found to have pharmacological activity.  The main groups of compounds are enzymes, peptides, amines, sugars, phospholipids and volatiles.  The volatiles are known collectively are alarm pheromones, and when a bee carries out a stinging attack, the pheromones released tell the rest of the bees in the hive that an intruder is present.  The pheromones smell very much like bananas.

The enzymes are the major allergic components in venom.  Enzymes are proteins that cause biological changes, and a major enzyme in bee venom is hysluronidase.  Hyaluronidase breaks down the fluid holding cells together, and is thought to allow the venom to spread more quickly in the body.  The other important enzyme in venom is phospholipase, which destroys phospholipids, a jajor component of cell membranes.

The major therapeutic components of venom are the peptides.  There are two major groups of peptides in bee venom:  melltin/apamin, and MCD-peptide.  The mellitn/apamin group is known to stimulate the pituitary gland in animals, which in turn releases a hormone that stimulates the adrenal gland to produce cortisol.

Cortisol is a hormone that is one of the body’s major anti-inflammatory steroids.  When cortisol levels are adequate in the body, they help repress the inflammatory response and reduce the pain and irritation caused by damaged tissue.  Cortisol is also able to reduce the immune response.  Reduced cortisol levels are thought to be linked to inflammatory diseases like arthritis.

MCD-peptide also produces a strong anti-inflammatory effect, but in this case the effect is directly on body tissues, rather than through the adrenal gland producing cortisol.  Studies on MCD-peptide show it is 100 times stronger than the common anti-inflammatory drug hydrocortisone.

There are two main types:  rheumatoid arthritis and osteo-arthritis.  Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that causes pain, restricted movement and disfigurement.  The disease can also result in reduced oxygen supply to tissues and impairment of the lymph system, resulting in restricted blood flow and calicified over-growth of joints.  Osteo-arthritis is a degenerative disease of the cartilage in joints.  In both cases, the immune system is thought to mistakenly perceive joint tissue as foreign, provoking an immune response that causes chronic inflammation.  In the US, 12% of the population suffers from arthritis, and similar figures can be expected for many other countries.  Treatment generally involves the use of drugs and other methods to a) reduce tissue inflammation around the joints, and b) suppress the immune response causing the inflammation.

Animal studies have shown that bee venom increases the production of cortisol in the body, with cortisol levels remaining higher in the blood for some time after the venom has been given.  Studies of MCD-peptide have shown that it reduces inflammation better than four popular non-steriod anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs, and twice as well as the common steroid dexamethasone.  Melittin/apamin has also been shown to have an immuno-suppressive effect, suggesting it can possibly work on the causes of arthritis.  A number of animal and human clinical trials have shown the beneficial effects of bee venom on arthritis.  The trials generally shown a significant effect compared to placebos.  Placebos (inactive substances used as a control) are a significant issue in arthritis studies because of psychological factors affect a person’s pain threshold).

There are a number of anecdotal reports showing the bee venom deuces the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, and associations have been set up in a number of countries to provide bee venom treatment to sufferers of the disease.  It is unclear why bee venom is effective, although venom is known to block potassium channels in nerves, which could improve nerve condition.  Bee venom also reduces inflammation.  Multiple sclerosis results from the destruction of nerve insulation caused by inflammation.

There is no doubt that bee venom causes allergic reactions, and deaths do occur every year as a result of insect stings.  However, the chances of death are very low.  In the US the chances of death are 1 in 12 million.  According to the same statistics, you have a three times greater change of being struck by lightening than dying from a bee sting.

Although many people believe they are severely allergic to bee stings because they have been prescribed in venom allergy injection kits (adrenaline and anthistamine), studies in the US show that actually only 1-2% of the population has a life-threatening reaction to insect stings.  Localised redness and swelling, as well as pain and itching after a bee sting, are considered by allergy specialists to be a normal reaction to bee stings, and do not mean that a person is truly allergic.  People can even experience localised massive swelling (angiodema) and not be at risk of death unless the sting is situated close to the airways.

A true allergic reaction is a systemic reason (ie the reaction occurs throughout the body, not just at the site of the sting).  Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, the urge to use the toilet, and itchiness on the palms, soles and around the eyes and throat.  A person can experience difficulty breathing, a massive swelling of the throat, shock and even unconsciousness.  If breathing problems occur, it is important to call a doctor immediately.  The patient should be made confortable, with the heat lifted and chin raised to increase the flow of air to the lungs.

A large-scale survey of people in the US showed there is no linkage between bee sting allergy and respiratory allergies, food allergies, or asthma.

If someone is allergic to wasp stings, will they be allergic to bee venom?  Not necessarily.  There is little cross-over between allergy to bee stings and paper wasp stings (the wasps that build small nests in shrubs).  However, about 15-20% of people who are allergic to bee stings are also allergic to stings of ground-nesting wasps.

Honey and bee venom products were first developed in New Zealand.  Many anecdotal reports suggest they are effective in reducing the inflammation associated with arthritis.  For best effect, the bee venom must be absorbed by the mucous membranes, since the active components are easily destroyed in the stomach.  Bee venom and honey should therefore be kept under the tongue for as long as possible, and not put on bread or in a hot drink.  It is also best to start with a low dose (1/4 tspn) to test for allergic reaction.  If the tongue begins to swell, cease use.

Bee venom products are not recommended for people with true (systemic) allergic reactions to bee venom.  People using non-steriod anti-inflammatory drugs or ACE inhibitors should also not use venom products, since both drugs have been shown in rare cases to cause increased sensitivity to bee venom.