Bees and Health rather than Bee Health!

[Trog]

An interesting article about the anti-bacterial properties of honey: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-20398515

[HJBee]

Has anyone heard this claim that giving babies Honey is dangerous as it can contain botulism? It's on a official NHS site. Reason for asking is I was asked about sourcing pasteurised honey by a new mum last night and was surprised at the reason why

From NHS (England & Wales website)
Infant botulism

Infant botulism occurs when a baby ingests spores of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria. The spores make their way to the intestine (part of the digestive system) where they begin to produce toxins.

Clostridium botulinum bacteria spores are harmless to older children and adults. After about the age of one year the baby develops defences that counter the effects of the spores.

Honey and corn syrup have been known to cause some cases of infant botulism, although no definitive cause was found in the majority of cases. In England and Wales there have been 13 cases of infant botulism between 1978 and 2011.


I would have though antibacterial and other allergy related benefits would outweigh this based on numbers quoted. Just might be my ignorance

Anyway how would someone like me or a mum self pasteurise 'raw' honey to overcome this concern?

[Rosie]

This is my take on the subject and what I teach my beginners so I hope it's true:

There is a risk that honey can indeed contain botulinum stores. I believe that investigations of cases of infant botulism in America have implicated honey. Apparently after 12 months of age we can cope with the spores but babies lack this ability.

I am not sure how tough the spores are but I would be surprised if pasteurising temperatures would have any effect on them.

The spores are supposed to be picked up from the soil from poor handling, especially of the supers but I have always suspected it could come from extracting from brood comb.

[Mellifera Crofter]

I think your friend's safest option is not to give honey to her baby - and even if she did so accidentally, with only 13 cases in 33 years, I think the chances that her baby would be affected are very small. It's the same with milk. A lot of us grew up on fresh unpasteurised milk, but I don't think you can get it any more (unless you have your own cows).
Kitta
PS - Actually - not quite the same. We can at least still have unpasteurised honey.

[Trog]

My daughter thrived on honey from an early age. There are those stickers you can put on honey jars advising that honey is unsuitable for infants but it's a voluntary thing. Bit silly really; how many mums do you see picking up a dropped dummy, sticking it in their mouth to 'clean' it, then giving it back to the poor sprog? NB mine never had a dummy! What about allowing babies to crawl on floors that have been walked on by folk in outdoor shoes?

[HJBee]

Thanks Steve, Kitta, Trog!

[Easy beesy]

Rosie - C botulinum is found naturally in soil, hence the warning to keep supers off the ground.

[HJBee]

I don't know very many hobbiest Beekeepers who would get soil into supers to have this effect, is it more likely big and not so good corporate entities ( and are they mainly in the US?

[gavin]

I've heard of cut comb being sold (by a hobbyist) with grit attached to one side of the comb. Anyway, botulism. Bees (rather than beekeepers) do have some habits that are best not described on the label of your best honey. In spring they'll often be seen out sucking moisture from puddles, wet ground and even more unsavory places such as the ooze at the bottom of manure heaps. At any time really, but it is particularly noticeable as colonies ramp up brood raising in spring and have a sudden need for liquefied stores. In hot weather they also spread water on comb to cool it. That manure heap stuff is probably warm, wet and full of salts which further adds to the attraction. (At this point I should say that my own bees just lick my hands for their supply of salt .... well, one did once.)

Anyway, normal activity of a colony may be enough to add botulism spores to honey.

[HJBee]

Good points well made as usual Gavin. Was thinking more of the human aspect and not the bee behaviour itself causing this.