The domestication of honey bees for the purpose of collecting honey is tracked back to approximately 4,500 years ago through ancient Egyptian art. Through the ages, humans have adapted beekeeping practices and came to realize that the bounty of the hive was not limited to only honey. In the following, I will briefly discuss a few of the more popular resources collected from modern bee colonies. However, I do encourage you to further research any of the following products that may peak your interest.
Pollen:
As bees make their rounds from flower to flower, they are not only looking for nectar to produce honey. One item that is very important to the health and growth of the colony is pollen, flower pollen to be more specific. This powdery substance, once located by the foraging honey bee, is gathered almost haphazardly by the thousands of hairs on the honey bee's body. As she continues her route, the honey bee pushes this powdery pollen down her body to her rear legs, where specialized hairs, called the pollen basket, contain the now mostly solid formed nugget of pollen. This pollen then is taken back to the colony where it will be mixed with nectar and enzymes produced by the honey bee to form what is called "bee bread", the protein source for feeding the brood, or baby bees. It is stored in the cells of the comb for continual and future use.
As beekeepers, we can collect this pollen prior to it being stored within the colony through the use of a pollen trap. There are several designs of pollen traps available to the beekeeper. However, they all have the same general purpose. As the bees enter the colony, they pass through special gates that are just large enough for the honey bee to squeeze through. During this process, the nuggets of pollen are scraped from the legs of the returning honey bees into awaiting trays for the beekeeper to collect. Don't worry though, none of the designs are 100% effective. This means that not ALL of the returning pollen is taken from the colony. Also, since honey bees are truly brilliant in their work, they recognize the shortage of incoming pollen and increase their search for it. Furthermore, it is common practice for a beekeeper to limit the amount of time the pollen trap is on the colony and is only placed there during a time when pollen availability is at it's highest.
How is this useful to us? There are many benefits to bee pollen. The most common and notable is that for seasonal allergy prevention. As with most allergy prevention treatments, the best method is to build a tolerance to that which you are allergic to. If you have seasonal allergies, especially during the spring while wild flowers are in bloom, it could be very beneficial to consume locally collected bee pollen on a regular basis. Furthermore, it is packed full of wonderful vitamins, minerals, antibiotics and antioxidants. It truly is one of the most nutritious all natural supplements a person can consume on a daily basis. It can be eaten by itself, though honestly is not recommended as it is not overly pleasant to eat on it's own. Many people who eat it each day mix it in something such as yogurt or oatmeal. A strong word of caution though, if you decide to start a regimen of bee pollen daily, it is highly recommended that you start in very low doses, less than a half a teaspoon at a time. It is also recommended that you consult an allergist prior to starting your daily dose. This is due to the quite possible allergic reaction.
Propolis:
What is this odd substance that you likely never heard of? This sticky, tar-like residue, commonly found sticking to everything within the hive and likely the beekeepers gloves and hive tool as well, is actually a means of health protection for the colony. I will explain further in a moment.
Where does it come from? While the ladies are out foraging, they also look around for plant sap and other plant resins to collect. When they bring this material back they mix it with their own saliva and beeswax to create this tar-like substance. The colony uses this propolis to fill gaps within the structure they call home. Think of it as caulk or sealant for their hive. They also coat the inside of the structure or cover any items that they do not want exposed to the rest of the colony. There have been many cases where rodents, who died while trying to invade the colony, have been found completely coated and sealed away from the rest of the colony. This propolis is anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal. Their use of this material helps maintain a healthy colony.
The beekeeper can collect this propolis by taking advantage of the honey bee's desire to keep gaps and light exposure in the colony to a minimum. The beekeeper can place a propolis trap, a flat plastic grid like device, underneath the top of the hive. The beekeeper then slightly props up the top to allow some extra light and air exposure to that area. In an attempt to fill the gap created, the honey bees with fill the trap with propolis. Once the propolis trap is satisfactorily filled, the beekeeper removes the trap, places it in the freezer to make the propolis hard and brittle, then breaks the chunks of propolis free from the trap.
This collected propolis can be used for various purposes. Propolis can be made into a tincture to be used as a topical ointment to treat infections, burns, cuts and other various skin injuries and conditions. In many various studies, when consumed, propolis has been shown to aid in the fight against diseases such as ulcers, Tuberculosis, stomach and intestinal disorders and other various conditions....even certain types of cancer.
Beeswax:
Bees need storage like any other society. They have the need to store their food (pollen and honey) as well as a place to raise their young. This storage is in the form of the ever so iconic honey comb. This honey comb, as most would know, is made of beeswax.
What is beeswax. Beeswax is formed by the wax-producing glands on in the abdomens of the honey bee. As they secrete the wax from their abdomens, they scrape it along the structure then use their legs and mandibles to shape it as desired.
How do we use it? Beeswax is one of those amazing natural products that currently have countless uses and new uses are being discovered practically daily. It is used to seal foods such as cheese. It is used in many various beauty products such as body creams and makeup. It is used to make candles, wax melts and other various fragrance producing items. It is used as a natural lubricant of sorts such as for the guide rails for drawers. It is used for natural wood polishes and the list goes on.
Honey:
Finally, the item we all expect from our beloved honey bees. This wonderfully sweet and golden liquid that most would agree is delicious.
Though such a familiar product, especially when discussing the honey bee,do we all really know how and why honey is produced? Before I discuss the how, I will explain the why. Believe it or not, honey bees do not produce this liquid gold simply to naturally indulge our sweet tooth. As pollen fulfills the protein needs of the colony, honey fulfills the sugar and carbohydrate requirements.
This amazing product is an outcome of bees collecting nectar from various flowering plants using their proboscis (tubular shaped tongue). This nectar is stored in their crop (stomach) until it is filled at which point the foraging honey bee returns to the colony and deposits it within a cell of the comb. During this process, important and necessary enzymes produced by the honey bee are mixed with the nectar. These enzymes are important for changing the composition of the nectar with the purpose of making long term storage and stability of honey possible. Thousands upon thousands of flowers are visited during the search of nectar. Once the nectar is stored in the cell of the comb, surrounding bees fan their wings in an attempt to lower the moister content of the liquid. Once the moisture content has been lowered enough, approximately 17% water content, then the bees use wax to cap the now ready honey for long term storage. If the honey has been properly dehydrated, it will, in simple terms, never go bad. Explorers of Egyptian pyramids have found honey believed to be over 3,000 years old that is still edible! Over time, honey will crystallize, or thicken and become grainy, but it will never really sour or become unsafe to eat. In fact, many believe quickly crystallizing honey is a sign of truly raw honey. Furthermore, it is not a stretch of truth that most store bought honey is not "true" honey as it may likely be heavily filtered or mixed with other products such as high fructose corn syrup. If your honey becomes crystallized, this is a good thing, as it means it is likely "pure", and it can be easily restored. You can simply place the jar of honey in hot, but not boiling, water and it will liquefy once more.
Why is honey important to us? Well it is absolutely delicious for one! However, there is more to the story than taste alone. It is used as a natural and healthy sweetener in many products such as cereal, snack bars, candy and many other food products. Honey alone contains many nutrients and antioxidants and can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. Honey can even be used as a natural topical ointment to aid in the healing of burns and other minor external wounds. Isn't honey amazing!
So, as you can see, our wonderful honey bees produce far more than just honey. This article does not cover all products available from these lovely ladies so I highly suggest you research for yourself!
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