The company ApiHealth NZ Ltd has started to collect bee venom in New Zealand in 1997 and was a first bee venom manufacturer in New Zealand. Dr Nikolai Nikolaev patented a modernized technology of bee venom collection both in Russian and New Zealand (NZ patent #329585). This technology allows collecting super grade bee venom in a commercial scale without harming the bees. At present ApiHealth NZ Ltd is a main commercial producer of high quality of Bee venom and bee venom products in New Zealand.

The bee venom manufacturing process has a few steps:

1. Bee venom collection from bees on the apiary.

All the existing types of electrical devices for bee venom collection have a common working element - bee venom collection frame. It comprises a bee venom collection frame with wire electrodes installed in parallel to each other. Electrical current goes through them in the form of impulses

Bee venom frames are mounted on the top of honey frames in every hive and then are connected to an electro-stimulator. The electro-stimulator is switched on and the time of the treatment is recorded. In the course of stimulation the behavior of bees in the electrical field between the wires of bee venom frame is watched.

Bees that come into contact with the wires received a mild electrical shock and stung onto the glass sheet . The alarm odor, which evaporated from the venom, mobilized and irritated the other bees and they also started to sting. At completion of the collection, the electrical stimulator is switched off and the bees are shaken off from the bee venom frames.
The bee venom collected dries on the glass. The frames with the fresh dried bee venom on them are carefully packed into a special container for transportation to the laboratory.

Fig.1. Bee venom collection from bees.

Fig. 2. Dr. Nikolai Nikolaev with his patented bee venom collection device.

2. Bee venom processing in the laboratory.

The processing of bee venom is starting right after the frames are brought back in the laboratory (Fig.3).

Fig.3. Process of bee venom scratching.

Fig.4.Dry bee venom, scratched from the glass.

Fig.5. Dry bee venom powder in the jar.

3. Packing and storage.

After that bee venom is packed up in the dark glass jars and stored in a cool and dry place (Fig.5).