Honeybee sting. Stinging barb, venom sac and accompanying muscles from a honeybee (Apis mellifera). The bee was used to deliberately sting a patient undergoing bee venom therapy (BVT). It is thought that BVT can help alleviate the symptoms caused by rheumatism, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other diseases. Patients are first tested for bee venom allergy. They are then able to self-administer the venom by holding a live bee in a pair of tweezers and allowing the bee to sting at specific points along the body. The medicinal use of honeybee products, such as venom, honey, royal jelly and beeswax, is known as apitherapy.