Patna: Bees are considered a friend of man. Honey extracted from the beehive is considered nectar, but the sting of these bees is also being used as a cure for several ailments. Though it may sound strange, it is true. Nishant, a youth from Bihar's capital city Patna, has started a bee sting business. Nishant claimed that he is perhaps the first entrepreneur in the state, who has done specialty in bee stings, which are used in curing several diseases.
Nishant explains, "Bee sting is particularly effective in curing arthritis. Several types of skin diseases are also cured using the clinical application of bee sting." Nishant further elaborates this was not a new thing. It was mentioned in Ayurveda literature but didn't become popular in the country the way it should be. "The work of collecting stings as medicine is still in its early stages in the country, but this method is already prevalent in European countries as well as America. These 'dunks' also fetch a good price," opines Nishant.
Nishant, who had mastered the sting extracting technique, did not do such work professionally. Nishant, a degree holder in mechanical engineering from Germany, says, "I saw the technique when I was there. It was not new to the people there but it was completely new to me." He explains that when there was an outbreak of Coronavirus, he returned home during the Lockdown.
"It was already in my mind of starting the project. For this, I contacted people who were engaged in bee rearing. If more effort is required to remove the sting, the cost of sting venom goes up. During the last two years, I have earned Rs 1.20 crore by selling one kilo of sting venom. So, the company's turnover was 3.5 crore during the last two years. The cost of sting venom is Rs 8 to 12 thousand per gram." says Nishant.
