The wonderful world of a beehive has long been known as the
location where our honey bees make honey. What many don’t know is that honey
bees make and collect other products for the hive. Those products can be extracted
and utilized by us in our daily lives.
Honey
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| Honey is the most common product of the hive. |
Honey is the most commonly thought of product that comes
from the hive. Honey bees collect nectar from the hundreds of flowers they visit
in a day. That nectar gets returned to the hive where it is deposited into a
honey comb cell. The nectar is then fanned by a worker bee’s wings to get a lot
of the moisture out for it to be turned into the honey we enjoy. Honey can be
used for cooking instead of granulated sugar, for treating minor cuts and
scrapes, and is a great remedy for treating a sore throat.
Beeswax
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| Beeswax is made from honey bees' bodies. |
Honey bees produce tiny scales of beeswax from their body
that they use to build up the honey comb and cover the nectar that has been
turned into honey. Beeswax that is extracted can be used to make beeswax
candles, lip balms, and other skin care products.
Pollen
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| Pollen is collected by honey bees to be used as food. |
When a honey bee visits flowers to collect nectar, it is
also collecting pollen. The pollen collected is stored on the back two legs of
the bee on their pollen baskets. The pollen collected is returned to the hive
where it is stored in a honey comb cell to be used for food. Some people use
pollen as a protein supplement. They add it to their cereal, yogurt, or even in
smoothies.
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| Pictured is royal jelly in queen cells |
Royal Jelly
A worker honey bee has glands on their head that
produce a special liquid we call royal jelly. This jelly is crucial for growing
queen bees, but humans also use it. Royal jelly contains botox, which prevents
wrinkles, it is shown to help with wound care and can be found in skin and
hair care products like the shampoo I use!
