Arthro-Pod Episode 37: Bugging out with Matt Bertone

Hey there bug lovers! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod we catch up with Matt Bertone of NC State and learn about his role as an insect identifier, how to best scoop cow dung into scientific samples, and what kinds of arthropods dwell in your home!

Tune in to learn all about it!

Dr. Bertone is not only a great scientist but also an expert photographer!

One of the big projects we chat with Matt about is an indoor arthropod survey, you can read all about it at this link: https://peerj.com/articles/1582/

Take a second to connect with our guest on Twitter, you can find him: 
@Bertonemyia
Questions? Comments? 

Follow the hosts on Twitter @JLarson_UNL, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 36 Bee Venom and Apitherapy

Hey there bug lovers! On our latest episode we are will dissect the contents of bee venom and discuss the possible medical uses of it. Bee venom is a chemical cocktail of pain inducing compounds but many people allow themselves to be stung for therapeutic reasons. Data suggests that there may be promising results but there is also reason for extreme caution before pursuing this course of action. 

Tune in to learn more! 

Honey bees have many uses, is one of them medicinal? (Photo credit: Jim Kalisch; UNL Entomology)

Apitherapy Episode Show Notes:

http://www.health.com/beauty/gwyneth-paltrows-bee-sting-therapy

http://www.beeculture.com/bee-venom-therapy/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4440710/

https://healthybutsmart.com/bee-venom-therapy/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apitherapy

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/bee-venom-therapy-grassroots-medicine/

http://www.beeculture.com/bee-venom-chemistry-ouch/

A bee sting removed from the bee (Photo credit: Jim Kalisch; UNL Entomology)

Definitions to consider:

Apitherapy: The use of honey bee related products for medicinal purposes. Includes venom, honey, beeswax, etc.

Bee venom therapy (BVT):  "in which bee venom is used for medicinal purposes, is available worldwide, but is primarily utilized in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. The diverse therapeutic applications of BVT include various musculoskeletal conditions, such as arthritis and rheumatism, chronic recalcitrant neuralgia, arthralgia, and immune-related diseases. BVT is also used to desensitize patients to bee stings and thus inhibit allergic reactions"

A typical reaction a bee sting (Photo credit: Jim Kalisch; UNL Entomology)