Beekeeping and Apitherapy

Beekeeping is also known as apiculture. This is the practice of maintaining honey bee colonies and culturing them in an area specifically designed to attract bees. An apiarist, commonly known as the beekeeper, tends to the bees and collects honey, beeswax, and other honey bee products. The bee keeper is also responsible for pollinating crops so that the bees have regular access to everything they need inside the periphery.

Beekeeping and apitherapy are closely related. Apitherapy is the use of products collected from the bees for therapeutic purposes. There are several products of bees that are used for this purpose. Pollen, honey, beeswax, bee venom, royal jelly, and propolis are some of the commonly use bee products in apitherapy. Honeybees and beekeeping is a complicated process. Since bees usually choose wild environments to create their hives, it might not be very easy to lure them into beekeeping facilities. The domestication of bees can be a tedious task and has to be done very carefully, since a bee attack can have very serious consequences.
The products obtained from beekeeping activities are very therapeutic and beneficial. Though there are some reservations about using apitherapy widely, due to possible allergies from bee products, the proponents of apitherapy believe that there are many conditions which can be permanently treated by using bee products. There is not much scientific data to back up these claims. However, apitherapy has shown success in the treatment of arthritis, multiple sclerosis, gout, tendonitis, shingles, and general pain. Bee products can also be used to treat wounds, burns, and infections.

Contrary to popular belief, apitherapy is a very old therapy and has been practiced since the most primitive times. The most ancient rock drawings have shown honey bees and their hives as natural sources of medicine. Therapies involving the bees were finally developed in the ancient civilizations of China, Greece, and Egypt. Today, there are a lot of studies and researches happening all over the world on the significance of bee products and their use in therapeutic sciences. There is a growing body of scientific research that shows bee products can be used independently or mixed with other substances to make effective healing products. Apitherapy, especially using bee venom, has been surrounded by controversies. While there are claims that it can be used successfully to treat arthritis, bursitis, and multiple sclerosis, there is growing evidence that those who are allergic to bee products may respond adversely to the administration of bee venom.