Bee venom

Influence of getting honey, technology of its processing and storage on its quality

There exist a lot of appliances and devices for getting bee venom, but all of them are based on one principle: electrostimulation of bees. The device for collecting venom can be placed both inside a hive and outside, that doesn’t influence the venom quality. But when it is collected inside a hive, the amount of admixtures is less. More often venom is gathered on the lower glass of the device placed inside the hive. But the purest venom is collected with the help of devices supplied with special plastic cover (polythene, lavsan etc), set on the glass. This plastic cover allows sting penetrate freely through the plastic cover and prevents pollen and dead bee particles from getting into venom.

Venom should be collected in a warm dry season, but not during the main honey collection. Fresh venom is fluid, but in the open air it dries out quickly and turns into dust. Venom can be dried in the dryer with an open exhaust. The content of water shouldn’t exceed 10%. Otherwise putrid processes can appear and venom biological activity disappears.

Dried out product is scraped off from glass plates and sifted through a kapron or metal net with 0,3-0,5 mm holes in order to remove mechanical admixtures. It is necessary to use a gas-mask or a respirator, protective glasses, rubber gloves, an overall and other protective means and to clean plates from venom collecting devices and to pack it in special boxes not to spread the dust.

Bee venom is stored in hermetic jars of orange or dark brown color in a dry, cool place. It must be exposed to sunrays. Refrigerator is the most suitable place, where venom qualities preserve the best. In some cases venom is dried under vacuum conditions and low temperature, the content of water is reduced to 2% or lower. This kind of venom is purer. If transportation is realized within 10 days jars can be kept at a temperature up to +4C.

It is necessary to note that nowadays admixtures of heavy metals and radioactive contaminants, etc.

English translation © Irina Yelsukova