# Cow urine?



## Paraplegic Racehorse (Jan 25, 2007)

Has anybody else seen this:

http://itn.co.uk/news/9fb2e0c1ffe5bb4eada82083ad534df5.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afo831EoSh0

I Googled "honeybee cow urine" and came up with a lot of hits - mostly the same as linked - but no published papers. Does anyone have an idea on where I might find some published research?


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

In that first link the article could certainly use a somewhat better translation.

How might cow piss exhibit antibacterial properties?


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## Paraplegic Racehorse (Jan 25, 2007)

I suppose here, in the US and much of Europe, you are right. In India?

And maybe it has something to do with the bees, themselves. Apis Ceranae is the native bee to India. Was this research done with A. Ceranae or A. Mellifera? That's a big part of why I want to find the original research paper.


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

Joseph Clemens said:


> In that first link the article could certainly use a somewhat better translation.
> 
> With all the antibiotics used in raising cattle, wouldn't it be the same as spraying them with massive doses of antibiotics? Recycling antibiotics.


You might want to check the validity of that generalized statement.

Signed

a cow/calf producer/honey producer


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## meganm (Jul 2, 2008)

Joseph Clemens said:


> How might cow piss exhibit antibacterial properties?


don't know about antibacterial, but urine is generally sterile (in healthy creatures) and does have some anti-fungal activity. it's been used for treating fungus like athletes foot. I saw the video, it doesn't look like they're doing much to *keep* it sterile, the way they're handling it.

some drugs and drug metabolites do show up in urine (that's why drug testing works, and why they're now testing sewage for drugs), so maybe there's something the cows are treated with that's in the urine.

megan


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## France (Apr 5, 2007)

I find this stuff in India a bit hard to swallow, since I have some bad pictures of highly unusual and very unsanitary ways in their practice to collect/store honey for the market. 

About urine curing whatever ails their hives - is a bit much?!

I dare to suggest that urine sprayed on combs is forcing bees to clean this offensive substance off the combs, and brood, and at the same time the bees are also cleaning whatever other contaminants, fungi and/or viruses may had been present on those combs...?
Simply put - evoking hygienic behaviour in their bees which, as I understand it, is perhaps one of lacking traits in their bees!?

Regards,
France


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## dhood (May 26, 2008)

*Cow Urine??*

I dont know if this would work or not, but to those who actually sell there honey. What would you say to your loyal customers when they ask you if you actually put cow urine in the same hive that produced the honey. Even if it was sceintificly proven, large scale use would surely affect sales, honey cunsumption nationwide, if not worldwide(excluding India). 
But I think I remember something about India and cows (religous?). Maybe this why they are the only ones trying it.


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## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

In some parts of India I suppose cow urine is thought of as,..........'Holy water'.


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

*quick to jump on the band wagon*

I was looking on ebay. there is a guy selling it for the bees.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cow-urine-for-b...ryZ46527QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## nc checkers (Apr 4, 2006)

correction to above post.

There is a guy attempting to sell it on e-bay. Every time I checked the bid history was 0


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