Bees make honey for themselves and for us, though they probably don't understand the latter. Humans and honey go back to biblical times and for good reason. It's a nutritious food staple and it also has a plethora of medicinal properties too. What we know, of thought we knew about honey is only the tip of the iceberg.
My Notes
This page looks at some serious trivia on bee's honey. It's a fascinating read and the facts never get dull or boring because they're simply amazing.
The Medicine of Bees
Aside from food, honey has long since been highly regarded as a medicine for mankind. Bees honey, venom and royal jelly is thought to cure everything from a runny nose to serious conditions like hypertension, high cholesterol and some cancers.
The Antiseptic
Honey has shown to be an effective at dressing for soothing and healing wounds. This is thanks to its antiseptic properties
Eternal Honey
Honey lasts forever, or near to it. An explorer once found a 2,000 year old jar of honey in an Egyptian tomb. His only comments were that it was delicious!
The Energy Booster
Honey consists mainly of two natural fruit sugars, namely fructose and glucose. These are quickly digested inside the human body, thus providing a quick boost of energy to the consumer. This is one of the reasons why honey is so popular among athletes.
Sweet Currency
In Roman times, people would often use honey instead of gold to pay their taxes.
And Old Trade
Honey bees have been around for a long time doing the same job. Some estimates say they have been producing honey the exact same way for around 150 million years.
What's with the Buzzing!
The rapidly flapping wings are what make the bees buzz the way they do. Those tiny, lightweight wings of theirs beat about 11,400 times every single minute.
Bee's Food
Like all living things, bees have to eat. They feed their larvae on pollen or little cakes which they make from pollen and saliva. They use their honey as a source of food during winter months. Honey bees always produce far more honey than they actually need, which is good news for humans who love their produce.
Making a Beeline
Ever wondered where the term ‘beeline' comes from? Why bees of course! The ‘bee line' is the route these clever little insects make to the flower of their choice. It also happens to be the shortest and fastest route available.
The Waggle Dance
All worker bees that set out for the day soon find a good source of nectar. Once they do, they fly back to the hive to inform their mates. A bee shows the others where the nectar source is by positioning itself to the flower in relation to the sun and the hive. This little display is what's known as the ‘waggle dance.'
Ancient Egyptian Times
The ancient Egyptians had a close relationship with bees and their honey. In fact, the honey had a role in births, deaths and marriages. It was also used to make special honey cakes. These cakes were supposed to help pacify the gods. Furthermore, honey was an ingredient for embalming fluids.
High Demand
Recent estimates suggest that the world produces about one million tons of honey for human consumption each year.
Beautiful Honey
Honey has a place as a beauty treatment too. This is due to its ability to attract and retain moisture. Honey was in fact a part of Cleopatra's daily beauty ritual.
The Wise Bee
Bees retain a secret wisdom acquired from another world. At least that's according to Celtic myths.
Below is some further, more scientific reading into the research of bee's honey that you might find interesting.
Forsch Komplementmed. 2016;23(1):12-5. doi: 10.1159/000441994. Epub 2016 Feb 9.
Topical Application of Honey on Surgical Wounds: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Goharshenasan P, Amini S, Atria A, Abtahi H, Khorasani G.
J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2015 Sep-Dec;19(3):342-7. doi: 10.4103/0973-029X.174641.
Honey as an alternative fixative for oral tissue: An evaluation of processed and unprocessed honey.
Lalwani V, Surekha R, Vanishree M, Koneru A, Hunasgi S, Ravikumar S.
Summary
The nutritional and medicinal properties of bee's honey, its venom, and their royal jelly are under constant study. We know a lot, but we don't know it all, not even close. Future findings on bee's honey and its benefits to humans will continue to be revealed.