Allergic to Honey?

KONASDAD · February 24, 2009, 01:02:11 PM

This year in selling my honey I came across 2 people, who claimed they were allergic to honey, but to bee stings.
Have any of you come across honey allergies before?

jdpro5010 · February 24, 2009, 01:38:48 PM

I am just quessing, but, I bet what they are actually allergic to is the pollen in the honey. :?

iddee · February 24, 2009, 02:02:27 PM

Of the ones I have been able to determine, about 10% of the people that say they are allergic to anything, actually are. Most of them aren't. I would let it go in one ear and out the other.

annette · February 24, 2009, 02:08:12 PM

A women in my office will not eat anything related to the honeybee. She is allergic to the bee stings and all honey products. When I gave her one of my lipbalms, she said because of the beeswax in it, she could not use it. Says if she eats honey, she breaks out in hives all over her body and throat closes up as well.

I guess some people do have serious allergies to honey products.

Conchis · February 24, 2009, 02:33:51 PM

I'm with you iddee...sometimes I think people say they are allergic to stuff simply to avoid going through the why don't you want it? conversation. I don't know...We have a little blueberry, U Pick operation and once in a while someone will tell us they are allergic to blueberries. Everyone claims to be allergic to bee stings...and frankly, if there wasn't a reaction to a bee sting, then the bees would have given up that ploy years ago. Everyone is "allergic" to bee stings, but they don't all have anaphylactic reactions.

bassman1977 · February 24, 2009, 04:19:45 PM

My mother in law works with a lady that claims to be allergic to golden rod honey. She would eat any other honey but that. So I gave her some anyway to try, figuring that she thinks she is allergic to golden rod in the fall means that she can't have the honey. Turns out she's not allergic to golden rod honey. How about them apples. :yippiechick:

BjornBee · February 24, 2009, 04:27:05 PM

People are known (beyond "in their head" made up stuff) to be allergic to about everything one could put in ones mouth.

Of course one can be allergic to honey, which contains pollen, enzymes, proteins, beekeeper induced chemicals, pesticides, etc.

BeeHopper · February 24, 2009, 04:47:58 PM

I can believe it, we're all allergic to something, look at me for instance, I'm allergic to people, a few make me sick :-X

Understudy · February 24, 2009, 07:05:37 PM

Technically the person is allergic to the pollen or bee parts. Not really the honey.

http://www.tga.gov.au/docs/pdf/cmec/honeysr.pdf
Page 4 about 3/4 of the way down.

Sincerely,
Brendhan