We only sell our own honey

What is This Stuff?

Last Updated on Thursday, 16 June 2011 11:48 Monday, 10 August 2009 20:55

Bees produce a variety of useful things.

Honey

Honey is of course the first thing that comes to mind when people think of bees. The bees collect nectar from flowers and convert it to honey, which they store in honeycomb for use when nectar sources have dried up. This unique resource makes it possible for the entire hive to survive the winter. Useful as a natural sweetener, honey also adds moisture to baked goods and prevents them from going stale as quickly as those made with sugar.

Honey consists of:
* natural sugars       80% (mainly levulose, dextrose and glucose)
* moisture               15-17%
* trace minerals        3%

Honey is a quick, safe and natural source of energy because its simple sugars are quickly absorbed by the body.


Pollen

While honey provides energy, pollen is the main source of nutrients for the bees. Containing proteins, fats, vitamins and trace elements, it is also an excellent nutrient supplement for people. Plants go to a lot of trouble to produce brightly coloured flowers with lots of nectar so that they can attract pollinating insects. As bees visit the flowers, grains of pollen stick to the hairs on their bodies. A lot of this pollen is collected in special organs on the bee's legs and taken back to the hive, but some is transferred to other flowers as the bee flies around. Without bees, many plants would not be properly pollinated, and would not be able to produce seeds or reproduce.

Beeswax

The bees make beeswax from honey. It takes roughly 8 kg of honey to make 1 kg of beeswax. Beeswax is the building material for honeycomb, where the bees store their honey and pollen and raise the new bees. Beeswax makes excellent candles that burn longer and cleaner than paraffin candles, which are made from petroleum products and can contain toxins. In addition, beeswax is an important component in natural soaps, cosmetics and polishes. It also plays an important role in arts and crafts, and many artists keep a block of beeswax handy.

Propolis

Propolis is a natural antibiotic that bees make using tree resins, beeswax and honey. It is used to fill in small cracks to keep rain and wind out of the hive, and to seal off and disinfect diseased areas or particulates (rotting and decaying plants) that the bees are unable to remove. Containing numerous antibiotics, propolis is effective against bacteria, viruses and fungi. It can be taken orally as a tincture or used externally in a cream or salve form. Studies have shown that propolis is effective against many skin problems and can promote healing and reduce inflammation.

Royal Jelly

What to feel like a queen? Royal jelly is the magical substance that causes an ordinary worker larva to become a queen bee. This super nutrient contains vitamins, energy, proteins and fats along with numerous natural hormones that turn the queen into a superbee. The diet of royal jelly causes the queen to be larger and stronger than her regular worker bee sisters and able to lay up to 2,000 eggs a day. On this exclusive diet the queen lives 60-80 times longer than the workers and has an incredibly productive life. Great as a nutrient supplement, royal jelly is also an excellent moisturizer and skin rejuvinator in cosmetics.