Allergies
        I have had a lot experience with allergies in my 50 years. I have a severe allergy to peanuts and have visited the emergency room quite a few times as a result. I also have the classic "hay fever"-- allergy to pollen. I trapped pollen for a dozen years and found that I could  handle emptying the pollen trap drawers -- but no more than that. I could  not tolerate it on my skin and could not stand to breatheair saturated with pollen dust. Some people claim that hay fever can be relieved by eating bee-collected pollen; I couldn't eat even the tiniest speck without turning my tongue into an itching mass and breathing the dust produced hay fever symptoms (itchy eyes, wheezing).
        On the other hand, I developed the normal immunity to bee stings: there is no itching and seldom any swelling. I have never heard of an allergy to propolis. Shaun wrote: "If you use rubbing alcohol to clean propolis off your hands you are likely to develop a propolis contact allergy that makes the skin fall off and is very itchy. Best to use a nail brush and soap." Of course, some people are even allergic to soap. Allergies seem very capricious. But I wonder what is the key point in Shaun's experience? Is there some interaction between alcohol and propolis? I have never heard of this. Rubbing alcohol itself should be safe for most people.  Perhaps Shaun or someone else could supply some more info on this one.

Peter Borst
Ithaca  NY
USA