The HoneyBee
This week we are talking about the Honeybee in celebration of World HoneyBee Awareness Day on August 18th
When you open your fridge and look at the fruits and veggies you have stored in there, what is your first thought? Delicious? Yes. From the garden? Possibly. Hardworking farmers? Probably not. But what about Honeybees?
Honeybees account for approximately 80% of insect pollination across the U.S. and without their vital help, the agriculture industry would severely suffer, in fact commercial production of more than 90 crops including almonds, apples, cherries, cranberries, blueberries, squash, and the countless seed crops all depend on help from wild honeybee pollination. Bee pollination itself accounts for about $15 billion in added crop value, just consider those little buzzing guys as flying dollar bills. Pollination is vital to an estimated 250,000 species of flowering plants and happens with an array of means, by wind, gravity, water, birds, and in the case we are talking about today, the honeybee.
When you open your fridge and look at the fruits and veggies you have stored in there, what is your first thought? Delicious? Yes. From the garden? Possibly. Hardworking farmers? Probably not. But what about Honeybees?
Honeybees account for approximately 80% of insect pollination across the U.S. and without their vital help, the agriculture industry would severely suffer, in fact commercial production of more than 90 crops including almonds, apples, cherries, cranberries, blueberries, squash, and the countless seed crops all depend on help from wild honeybee pollination. Bee pollination itself accounts for about $15 billion in added crop value, just consider those little buzzing guys as flying dollar bills. Pollination is vital to an estimated 250,000 species of flowering plants and happens with an array of means, by wind, gravity, water, birds, and in the case we are talking about today, the honeybee.
As honeybees fly from flower or plant to another they pick up pollen, also known as ‘Bee Bread’ along their way and it’s practically sprinkled as they go gathering nectar which will be converted into honey. This 'bee bread' is carried on their hind legs in specialized structures called Pollen Baskets or "Corbiculae" in Latin. This is where pollen collections come into play. Pollen is collected at the entrance of the hive by special traps that gently collect parts of the pollen basket as to not hurt the bee or take too much as to be detrimental to the hive. In return it helps to mobilize the bee increasing the number of field bees and number of gathering flights. Pollen grains differ in size, shape and weight even color ranging from bright yellow to black all depending on the plant type. While it is obvious that the chemical compounds of Bee Pollen can vary depending on the plant from which it was gathered, you can be sure that pollen contains essentials nutrients such as proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, lipids, phenolics, enzymes, coenzymes, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals. Bee Pollen has also been proposed as a valuable dietary supplement. Especially in recovery periods, aiding to increase the physical and mental state of those who experience stress and overworking, giving the immune system a boost. Most individual who take bee pollen as a dietary supplement will do so by sprinkling the granules on their cereal, maybe dissolve it in their water so simply by swallowing a given amount.
Bees require just about the same nutritional requirements to that of humans. Proteins, carbs, minerals, fats, vitamins and water, and their primary source of carbohydrates is honey. Converted by the bees from gathered nectar, honey comes in different colors, types and flavors. Of course depending again, on the source from which the original nectar was gathered differing concentrations of various amounts of minerals, calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium and sodium are present and give the bees those added benefits. Without a constant supply or surplus bees would only live a few days. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service, honey bees made a little less than 163 million pounds of honey in 2016.
Another bee hive product is Propolis, a plant derived resinous product that foraging bees produce by collecting resin from buds and other plant tissues. It is mixed with their wax and pollen into a malleable compact substance used to repair their hive. Propolis contains important vitamins, useful minerals, enzymes, fatty acids and organic compounds. Bees use the substance to seal holes and cracks while smoothing the internal surface of their beehives. It is commonly called ‘bee glue’ and in its raw form cool propolis is hard and breakable, when warm it is flexible and very sticky. The chemical composition of propolis is dramatically dependent on its geographical and floral origins and generally contains constitutes including organic acids, ketones, and minerals.
Last but certainly not least is Royal Jelly. A yellowish-white substance secreted from the honey bees salivary glands. In it can be found amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, phenolics, minerals, fatty acids, bio-active compounds and proteins. The most and main abundant protein is known as Royalactin. Royal Jelly is exclusively fed to Queen Bees and newly hatched larvae.
Last but certainly not least is Royal Jelly. A yellowish-white substance secreted from the honey bees salivary glands. In it can be found amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, phenolics, minerals, fatty acids, bio-active compounds and proteins. The most and main abundant protein is known as Royalactin. Royal Jelly is exclusively fed to Queen Bees and newly hatched larvae.
Beekeeping and honey foraging can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt where depictions of honey gathering can be seen on cave walls even differing religious texts refer to honey as being used even for medicinal purposes. The use of alternative therapy that uses products that come directly from the honeybee is called Apitherapy. For thousands of years bee products have been used to treat a variety of conditions and ancient civilizations including the Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese all have uses and long standing history for the use of beehive products. As science and technology have advance into the 21st century more and more research is being done on bees and their products, especially when it comes to uses for medical purposes. The American Apitherapy Society provides the public and healthcare community about both the traditional and scientifically valid uses of Apitherapy. You can find the link to their site below and read up more yourself on the benefits of the honeybees!
This Week...
This week researchers at the University of Arizona have released a study in regards to honeybees and the bacteria in their guts and the food they eat in relation to the longevity of their lives. They hope the insects can serve as models to discover how genetics, gut bacteria and diet influence aging in humans.
"Our study is the first to suggest a connection between the bacteria that inhabit the bees’ guts, the foods they eat, and physiological differences related to aging, stress and longevity," says Kirk Anderson, a research microbiologist with the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona. Anderson is also an adjunct scientist in the Department of Entomology and Center for Insect Science in the UA's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences."
The article goes on to talk about how certain bacteria effects a worker bee verses a queen bee and the longer lifespan a queen has and the connection we have as humans to the same process. One of our favorite parts of the article is when they mention Royal Jelly...
"The workers will feed her only royal jelly, which they produce in specialized glands. You can think of royal jelly as a type of super food, the bee's equivalent of breast milk, supporting beneficial bacteria and containing antimicrobial peptides. The study suggests that royal jelly, which enhances the growth of queen-specific gut microbes, sets the queen on a trajectory toward a much longer life..."
"Our study is the first to suggest a connection between the bacteria that inhabit the bees’ guts, the foods they eat, and physiological differences related to aging, stress and longevity," says Kirk Anderson, a research microbiologist with the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona. Anderson is also an adjunct scientist in the Department of Entomology and Center for Insect Science in the UA's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences."
The article goes on to talk about how certain bacteria effects a worker bee verses a queen bee and the longer lifespan a queen has and the connection we have as humans to the same process. One of our favorite parts of the article is when they mention Royal Jelly...
"The workers will feed her only royal jelly, which they produce in specialized glands. You can think of royal jelly as a type of super food, the bee's equivalent of breast milk, supporting beneficial bacteria and containing antimicrobial peptides. The study suggests that royal jelly, which enhances the growth of queen-specific gut microbes, sets the queen on a trajectory toward a much longer life..."
Bee Products
Bee Pollen granules differ in size, shape and weight even color ranging from bright yellow to black all depending on the plant type. While it is obvious that the chemical compounds of Bee Pollen can vary depending on the plant from which it was gathered, you can be sure that pollen contains essentials nutrients such as proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, lipids, phenolics, enzymes, coenzymes, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals. Most individual who take bee pollen as a dietary supplement will do so by sprinkling the granules on their cereal, maybe dissolve it in their water so simply by swallowing a given amount.
Another bee hive product is Propolis, a plant derived resinous product that foraging bees produce by collecting resin from buds and other plant tissues. It is mixed with their wax and pollen into a malleable compact substance used to repair their hive. Propolis contains important vitamins, useful minerals, enzymes, fatty acids and organic compounds.
Last but certainly not least is Royal Jelly. A yellowish-white substance secreted from the honey bees salivary glands. In it can be found amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, phenolics, minerals, fatty acids, bio-active compounds and proteins. The most and main abundant protein is known as Royalactin. Royal Jelly is exclusively fed to Queen Bees and newly hatched larvae.
Another bee hive product is Propolis, a plant derived resinous product that foraging bees produce by collecting resin from buds and other plant tissues. It is mixed with their wax and pollen into a malleable compact substance used to repair their hive. Propolis contains important vitamins, useful minerals, enzymes, fatty acids and organic compounds.
Last but certainly not least is Royal Jelly. A yellowish-white substance secreted from the honey bees salivary glands. In it can be found amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, phenolics, minerals, fatty acids, bio-active compounds and proteins. The most and main abundant protein is known as Royalactin. Royal Jelly is exclusively fed to Queen Bees and newly hatched larvae.
Did You Know...
1. The typical size of a bee colony is roughly 20,000 bees but sizes vary.
2. A single bee can hold a pollen load about 35% of its body weight.
3. Queen bees can lay an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 eggs in a single day.
4. Princess Diana was documented in using Royal Jelly throughout her pregnancies.
1. The typical size of a bee colony is roughly 20,000 bees but sizes vary.
2. A single bee can hold a pollen load about 35% of its body weight.
3. Queen bees can lay an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 eggs in a single day.
4. Princess Diana was documented in using Royal Jelly throughout her pregnancies.
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