Bee Venom Has "Botox-Like Effect," Is Worth 7 Times As Much As Gold

dryriver writes "The BBC reports that cosmetic products using bee venom as an ingredient are a new 'hot seller' in the cosmetics market. Bee venom is said to have an effect on female skin similar to Botox injections, tightening the skin and making wrinkles and other signs of aging appear less pronounced than before. Unlike Botox, however, bee venom does not need to be injected, and can be absorbed through the skin naturally as an ingredient of cosmetic skin creme. Now comes the kicker: A special electrified device that causes bees to sting a synthetic membrane and release their venom can harvest about one gram of bee venom from 20 bee hives. That one gram of bee venom is worth a whopping 350 dollars. This makes bee venom almost seven times more valuable than gold, which, in comparison, is worth only about 53 dollars per gram."

Re:Botox

[kimvette]

FTFS:

Unlike Botox, however, bee venom does not need to be injected, and can be absorbed through the skin naturally as an ingredient of cosmetic skin creme.

Re:Does it kill the bees???

[IonOtter]

No, the bees just get really pissed off by the current, and it encourages them to sting the glass.

Per the video, you can "harvest" every two weeks.

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong

[Zomalaja]

http://www.abeeco.co.nz/shop/Bee+Venom+Products.html [abeeco.co.nz]
"To extract the Bee Venom a pane of glass is placed along side the hive and a small electrical current is run through it, which encourages the bees to sting the surface. The bees are not harmed in the process."

Wasabi

[Required Snark]

I just saw fresh whole (not ground) wasabi root for sale in a Japanese market in Los Angeles for $149 a pound. A one inch diameter piece 3/4 inch long was around $9. The second most expensive food I found was Spanish Blue Fin tuna for $55 a pound.

Re:Botox

[Anonymous Coward]

With the right marketing guys could be a far bigger market:

"My balls are as smooth as pearls, and you know how much women love pearls"

Re:Does it kill the bees???

[bwcbwc]

Hmmm, I was going to say that bees die when they sting. But that's because normally the stinger gets hooked in the victim and the bee's abdomen ruptures when the stinger is pulled off. If they're stinging glass, I suppose it's possible they could survive the experience because the stinger wouldn't get stuck.

Re:7 times the price of gold?

[Dr_Barnowl]

Bees die when they sting humans at least - their sting is barbed and they can't get it out, so the injuries they receive when they rip part of their butt off are fatal. It only applies to animals with a thick skin/

If this membrane is tough enough, they won't be able to penetrate it, and their stinger will stay on. It would also work if it's weak enough to pull the stinger loose.

Re:Botox

[kimvette]

It's far too expensive for mass consumption, not easy to mass produce, and to get this to bring in big money you'd have to be able to synthesize it somehow with process that can be used to mass production.

I disagree. People spend money on gold facial masks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4Tmycixsh8 [youtube.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLrurC4dtUY [youtube.com]

and some idiots pay for silver facials and gels, which will actually result in argyria (turn your skin blue - literally) if you do it too many times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhQgFc_bec4 [youtube.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDW799FhVJ0 [youtube.com]

Examples of argyria:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria [wikipedia.org]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahihGKZC5Kk [youtube.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnXdk3Kmq9s [youtube.com]

Now granted those are some extreme examples, but ever notice many women's earlobes have a small greyish spec at the bottom of the piercing? This is from silver compounds being absorbed into the skin. Same thing.

Re:Would that be considered cruel ?

[smooth wombat]

They do not feel a thing. Insects lack a central nervous system, which is needed to have ability to feel what is happening to remote parts of your body.

Not so fast [utilitarian-essays.com]. You might want to reconsider that thought, especially when the dance of bees were studied [plosone.org] and how it relates to their central nervous system.

Then there is the anatomy of a bee [tamu.edu] which shows its nervous system.

Obviously bees feel pain. The question is to what extent compared to mammals.