Sugar Creek Honey

04/21/2026

I recently started providing bees to a young lady for Apitherapy. Because this is such a compelling and inspiring journey, she agreed to write something I can share. Here’s her story….

“Greetings, my name is Karen. I was asked to share a personal journey that has fundamentally changed my life: my experience with bee venom therapy.

For as long as I can remember, weakness and disorientation have been a part of my daily life. I remember as a little girl wondering how everyone else ran as long as they did while I struggled along. My symptoms worsened as I got older. Stomach pain, memory-loss, muscle cramps. Fibromyalgia in highschool made it difficult to join sports. My parents realized this wasn’t normal. I was taken from doctor to doctor. Labs, diets, supplements, protocols, you name it. I finally met a doctor who informed me that I was struggling with Lyme Disease, which I likely contracted as a child. Unfortunately, like so many others (1), I was unable to recover using conventional treatments. I eventually learned to accept these challenges as a part of my life. Job 1:21

Everything changed when I discovered Ellie Lobel’s story. Ellie suffered from Lyme for 15 years. She went through a similar grueling medical process. There came a time when she no longer cared. She was ready to just die. Ellie asked her caregiver to take her on a walk; she wanted to feel the touch of sun on her skin, she knew she was dying. Suddenly, a swarm of Africanized bees attacked. Her caregiver ran off but Ellie couldn’t. She was stung countless times before the bees finally flew away. Ellie thought this was God’s way of telling her it was time. But that attack saved her life. Ellie is now fully recovered and dedicates her time to helping others who struggle with Lyme (2).

Her story led me to research the science behind bee venom. While clinical research is still developing, studies on PubMed have shown that melittin—a component of bee venom—can suppress cancer cell invasion (3), disrupt bacterial membranes (4), and reduce inflammation (5).

I still felt that Bee Venom therapy was very weird. But I mean, I had nothing to lose. I’ve always been open minded. Why stop now? I flew out to Cali to meet a man willing to administer my first dose. I felt the difference almost immediately; within days, my energy levels and mental clarity skyrocketed. During this time I also met others using bee venom to treat a variety of other ailments. Many arthritis patients claiming they no longer required medication (5), cancer patients (3), and lyme (4) among others. It was inspiring! It has now been eight months since my first dose, and I am living virtually pain-free with more energy than ever before.

I’m so grateful for the bees. I went from being bed-ridden, requiring a care-giver 24/7, to finally living as a young woman ought to. I’m so fascinated by bees and hope to become a bee-keeper in the future! Bee-keepers play such an essential role in our ecosystem and I want to be a part of what makes that system thrive.


While this treatment has been life-changing for me, I am just one person. It’s also important to note that bee venom can be very dangerous. I always keep an EpiPen nearby and have accepted the potential risks.

For those interested in learning more, I recommend the following resources:

- The Heal Hive: An online program that guides individuals through bee venom treatment. They also feature stories similar to mine on their Instagram (6);

- Stinglab: A similar online program (7);

- "Bee Venom Treatment for Lyme Disease": A book by Ellie Lobel (8).



Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

God bless,

Karen”



Citations & Links

(1) Rebman AW, Aucott JN. Post-treatment Lyme Disease as a Model for Persistent Symptoms in Lyme Disease. Front Med (Lausanne). 2020 Feb 25;7:57. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2020.00057. PMID: 32161761; PMCID: PMC7052487.

(2) Wilcox C. How a bee sting saved my life. 2015 Mar 27. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150327-how-a-bee-sting-saved-my-life

(3) Pandey P, Khan F, Khan MA, Kumar R, Upadhyay TK. An Updated Review Summarizing the Anticancer Efficacy of Melittin from Bee Venom in Several Models of Human Cancers. Nutrients. 2023 Jul 12;15(14):3111. doi: 10.3390/nu15143111. PMID: 37513529; PMCID: PMC10385528.

(4) Guha S, Ferrie RP, Ghimire J, Ventura CR, Wu E, Sun L, Kim SY, Wiedman GR, Hristova K, Wimley WC. Applications and evolution of melittin, the quintessential membrane active peptide. Biochem Pharmacol. 2021 Nov;193:114769. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114769. Epub 2021 Sep 17. PMID: 34543656; PMCID: PMC9235364.

(5) Lee G, Bae H. Anti-Inflammatory Applications of Melittin, a Major Component of Bee Venom: Detailed Mechanism of Action and Adverse Effects. Molecules. 2016 May 11;21(5):616. doi: 10.3390/molecules21050616. PMID: 27187328; PMCID: PMC6273919.

(6) The Heal Hive - https://www.thehealhive.com/

Instagram - @ thehealhive

(7) Stinglab - https://www.stinglab.org/

Instagram - @ katehinkens

(8) "Bee Venom Treatment for Lyme Disease": A book by Ellie Lobel

https://www.amazon.com/Bee-Venom-Therapy-Lyme-Disease/dp/1703488938/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.C2q6EBLTJvfCnVc7paLj0Q.SjFMrdyLuxUjPr5-WZHXwisZGQwcMMGdXZTTvVYwqE8&dib_tag=se&qid=1776234754&refinements=p_27%3AEllie+Lobel&s=books&sr=1-1

01/21/2026

I often get asked what honey bees do in the winter. During cold weather the bees cluster to stay warm….not considered hibernation. But there are those warmer days here in the South when bees go out looking for water or something good to eat. Here are photos of honey bees on Meyer Lemon blooms last week!

Thanks to Fiona Fox for sending along these pics!

09/23/2025

Fun day today at the East Texas State Fair where we were talking to school kids about pollination and honey bees. A big thanks to Heather and Zane (one of the ETBA scholarship students) for their help and a wonderful job of connecting with the kids!

07/03/2025

“Beekeeper for life” …..I’ve heard many times in my 25 years of beekeeping that if a new beekeeper gets to the point where they bottle the first jar of honey from their hives, you have a beekeeper for life. This is a significant milestone for new beekeepers, one that I enjoy sharing with folks that I mentor.

Today I had the opportunity to share this moment with my good friend John Becker. John has persisted through some significant adversity with his bees, including an allergy to bee stings! This afternoon he extracted and bottled his first crop of honey. Congratulations, John…and well done!!

06/25/2025

Early wildflower/clover honey is in the bottle. This is a great tasting honey, produced and bottled right here in Smith County Texas! $12/lb, $20 for a 2-lb bottle. Message me with questions or for info on getting some of this honey

05/15/2025

We extracted honey supers yesterday from my hives that are on a nice clover field here in Smith County. A big thanks to my friend Tony Shields for his help! Tony is getting very comfortable in a bee suit and was a workhorse with some heavy lifting.

02/08/2025

12/08/2024

Looking for that teacher gift, stocking stuffer, or neighbor gift? Check out these packages from Sugar Creek Honey/Sugar Creek Design. Sugar Creek Design cosmetics start with natural beeswax from our hives and are blended with essential oils and shea butter, following our own recipes. We produce and bottle Sugar Creek Honey here in Smith County Texas, and are currently selling East Texas wildflower honey. These packages sell for $25, or you can buy any of our products individually. Message me to get more information or to order yours today!

11/22/2024

This is the first look at our holiday items….gift baskets, cosmetics made with our own beeswax, and of course local honey from our hives located in Smith County. Open to the public, 11-4 on Saturday. Hope to see you there!

10/09/2024

Fall Allergies? Try some of our fall honey! We also have Spring Wildflower and creamed honey. All local, Sugar Creek Honey. Message me for more information.