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Benefits of Honey Consumption

Realfoodforlife.com lists the following 9 beneficial traits that honey consumption has on the human body.

1. Prevent cancer and heart disease

2. Reduce ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders.

3. Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal

4. Increase athletic performance

5. Reduces a cough and throat irritation

6. Blood sugar regulation

7. Heal wounds and burns

8. Probiotic

9. Strengthen the immune system

(10 Health Benefits of Honey, 2018)

Here’s the thing, realfoodforlife.com is not the only resource that agrees honey has healing properties. www.healthline.com, draxe.com, www.well-beingsecrets.com, www.medicaldaily.com, and several other sources back up the claims to fame honey makes.

I could stop this post here and let you contemplate the reality of the list I have produced above, but I won't. Surprisingly, these 9 things are not the only benefits of honey. Personally, I have used honey as an additive to homemade lip balm. It is a fantastic binding agent, naturally sticks to one’s lips, and tastes amazing. Growing up, my mother would put a small amount of honey in a warm bath to help soothe itchy or irritated skin. I have friends who have used honey as a base ingredient for face masks. And, honey and peanut butter sandwiches are a MUST try.

Over the past nine weeks, I have explained many aspects of a honey bee’s life and why/how we should protect these precious insects. These little guys spend their whole life pollinating crops that we can eat, they produce honey which we can use, and help flowers bloom which we find pretty. They are arguably amazing insects. Please help to stand up for these creatures who are just trying their best to help make your life better. Join the cause. Raise awareness. Help protect our furry looking friends!

10 Health Benefits of Honey http://www.realfoodforlife.com/health-benefits-of-honey/ (accessed Mar 26, 2018).

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Commercial Beekeeping

I would venture to guess that most people do not know how much work it takes to create the food that finds its way to a family dining room table. Obviously, there are the commonly known things like planning, harvesting, transporting the food, displaying it in a store, and all the supply chain work in-between. But something many people probably do not consider is the effort it takes to pollinate the crops. With seasonal changes, industrial and residential sprawl and the plethora of other factors that have caused natural honey bee populations to plummet the agricultural sector of commercial pollination has needed to step up its game.

“Commercial beekeeping delivers 15 to 20 billion in economic value for agriculture each year.” (The Roaming Life, 2017). This is a staggering statistic presented by ModernAg.com and it shows just how important commercial beekeeping has become. ModernAg.com continues to say, “The modern-day beekeeper lives part of the year on the road, traveling from state to state serving the many fruit, vegetable, and nut farms in need of honey bee pollination.” (The Roaming Life, 2017). These beekeepers travel thousands of miles every year to ensure crops are pollinated and families are fed.

A beekeeper’s journey takes them from the almond groves of California to the blueberry fields of Maine and everywhere in-between. Constant transport is hard on the honey bees and the keepers often experience bee population drops during transport. Through skill, expertise, and constant care, the beekeepers keep the husbandry of their populations up high enough to maintain their business.

Commercial beekeeping is drastically different from its hobby beekeeping counterpart, but both are vital to the continuation of the species and the survival of mankind and our current food source attainment practices.

The Roaming Life of a Commercial Beekeeper https://modernag.org/biodiversity/commercial-beekeeping-in-agriculture/ (accessed Mar 26, 2018).

Zophia Raleigh. BeeCentric Welcome Mat. Personal Photograph. (accessed March 26, 2018).

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Spring Break Plans? Florida Bees Want To Say Hi!

In tribute to the spring break mindset that the first few weeks of March brings about, let’s talk about an issue Florida runs into with its honey bee population.

Florida has honey bees, but they also have Africanized Honey Bees. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services explains the situation Floridians are faced with when it comes to bees. The bee population in Florida is made up of both docile honey bees, like those the northern states have, and aggressive honey bees that came from Africa. Here is a tidbit from their website article on the matter.

“(African Honey Bees) were brought to Brazil in the 1950’s for testing as possible alternative pollinators and honey producers because of their reputation of being hardy in tropical environments. At the time, their defensive nature and ability to reproduce in greater numbers were not well understood. Some were accidentally released and have spread throughout South and Central America, Mexico and the southern U.S.” (Westervelt, 2018).

It is now understood that Africanized Honey Bees are far more aggressive and defensive than “regular” honey bees. What does this mean? Simply, it means that when you are in Florida or other southern areas on spring break, know that when you see a cute, fuzzy honey bee it could possibly want to attack you as if it were an evil, mean wasp. Be careful, watch where you walk, and know the native versus invasive species of the area you are visiting.

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services also suggests that if you are stung by a bee and think it may be an African Honey Bee to immediately seek medical attention if needed. They also suggest that when stung, run quickly away from where you are with your hands covering your face and get to safety. Suggested “safe” locations would include: a car with shut windows, a house, a mystical land far far away, or a building with closed doors and windows. From there, assess your stings and if possible call a licensed pest control company because African Honey Bees are not to be treated nicely the way “regular” honey bees are.

Westervelt, D. African Honey Bee https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Plant-Industry/Pests-Diseases/African-Honey-Bee.