Honey Bees are incredible creatures, whom with we share a deep symbiotic relationship.
Bees rarely rest. Once the sun comes up they go to work and they can be seen returning to the hive well after dark. Because of this biologic drive and stamina, they are remarkably productive creatures. They can create up to 300 pounds of honey per hive in a single four month growing season which is amazing in itself. But they also produce up to ten pounds of beeswax per hive as well as a unique substance called propolis or 'bee glue' which may prove to
A honeybee can fly approximately 15 miles per hour. Honeybees are the only insect that produce food for humans. Honey is the ONLY food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water. A typical beehive makes more than 400 pounds of honey per year Approximately 7-8 pounds of honey are consumed by bees to produce 1 pound of beeswax. Honeybees are a great scientific mystery because they have remained unchanged for 20 million years even though the world has changed around them. Honeybees will usually travel approximately 3 miles from their hive. A single honeybee will only produce approximately 1/12 teaspoon of honey in her lifetime. A honeybee will flap its wings about 11,400 times per minute creating the "buzz" that you hear. Honeybees are the only bees that die after they sting. Honeybees are entirely herbivorous when they forage for nectar and pollen. Honey speeds the healing process and combats infections. Honey never spoils. It would take about 1 ounce of honey to fuel a honeybee's flight around the world. Honeybee colonies have unique odors that members flash like ID cards at the hive's front door, so the guard bees can recognize the entering bees. Honeybees are responsible for approx 80% of all fruit, vegetable and seed crops in the U.S.
Each day, a forager may make up to 10 trips back and forth to the hive to drop off the pollen or nectar she's collected from numerous flowers. Bees may travel as far as 55,000 miles and visit more than 2 million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just 1 pound of honey! Hence the phrase "busy as a bee".
There is always something going on in the hive whether it be house cleaning, nursing the young, packing food away, guarding the entrance, dancing, eating, egg laying, fanning, or grooming. All these tasks are performed hundreds of times daily.
Recent studies by Gribel and Pashinskii indicated that honey possessed moderate antitumor and pronounced anti-metastatic effects in five different strains of rat and mouse tumors. Furthermore, honey potentiated the antitumor activity of chemotherapeutic drugs such as 5-fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide.
-- Gribel, N.V., and Pashinskii, V.G. Antitumor properties of honey. Vopr. Onkol., 36:704-709, 1990.
Cultures around the world recognize the significance of honey bees. The bee is the official state insect in 14 U.S. states.
Bees also represent Gods and Deities in various cultures -
Artemis - the Ephesian Mother goddess Vishnu - the Indian god known as the preserver, is depicted as a blue bee resting on a lotus flower. Krishna - an Indian god is often depicted with a blue bee on his forehead. Kama - the Indian god of love has a bow string made of bees.
Re - the Egyptian sun god created bees and humans from his tears.
Pan - the Greek god of Nature was a beekeeper and protector of bees.
Austeja - is a Lithuanian bee goddess.
Bubilas - is a Lithuanian bee god representing the drones.
Mellonia or Mellona - was the Roman goddess of bees. In Russia - the bee god Zosim was the protector of beekeeping.
What did the bee represent?
The Soul Many cultures, including the Greeks and Egyptians, believed the honey bee represented the soul. Royalty Since bees were likened to the divine and maintained a matriarchal (though some originally believed it was patriarchal) order, they were used to symbolize royalty. This is shown for instance, in Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's wide use of the honey bee.
The Goddess/Great Mother In many ancient texts the bee represents the Mother Goddess. Goddesses associated with fertility and nature are often associated with the honey bee. Some of these include: Ma, Rhea, Cybele, Ceres, Artemis/Diana, and Persephone.
Community The beehive is a complex system wherein bees perform many different tasks in order to keep the hive as a whole functioning properly. Since bees work together for the benefit of the entire community, they are one of the most prolific examples of a working community. Bees are constantly used in the Mormon religion to represent the ideal society. William Shakespeare even wrote: "For so work the honey bees, creatures that by a rule in nature teach the act of order to a peopled kingdom"
Good Order Bees were used to symbolize political and social order in that there was a leader (the role of the queen was modified in various regions to represent the Pope, King, Tsar, etc) and a community that worked underneath this leader. Many early societies believed that the Queen bee was male! Purity Bees were revered because of their ability to produce wax and therefore provide light, in many cases for religious practices. Imagine the huge importance of candles before the utilization of electricity! The Catholic Church believed beeswax to be pure because it was produced by virgins (worker bees do not mate). The Catholic Church still requires that their candles contain a certain amount of beeswax. Not only were bees responsible for light, but they also produced honey, the "nectar of the Gods". Honey was sacred because of its many curative properties. Some believed that honey not only cured physical ailments but emotional and spiritual ailments as well. Also before sugar, honey was one of the only natural sweeteners.
Other unusual facts:
* Honey was such a valuable commodity that in many regions there were special laws to protect bees and beekeepers. It was a serious crime to damage trees/hives where bees lived in an attempt to get the honey. This crime could result in heavy fines or in some cases, the death sentence! One such example is the Linden tree (Tilia spp.), also known as Basswood. In many regions including Poland and Greece, the Linden was considered a sacred tree, which symbolized divine power, love, and luck. Since bees are highly attracted to Linden tree blossoms and the honey produced from these blossoms is of high quality, laws were passed to protect not only the tree but also the bees that may inhabit the tree. Cutting down Linden trees was associated with bad luck, punishment, and death. Sometimes the Linden tree is known as the "bee tree".
* Some people are purposefully stung or injected with honey bee venom! This procedure is called Apitherapy. Honey bee venom is reported to relieve and sometimes cure symptoms of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis. The American Apitherapy Society states that bee venom is also beneficial for a variety of other problems including eczema, psoriasis, warts, laryngitis, emphysema, asthma, and glaucoma! For more information, visit the American Apitherapy Society at www.apitherapy.org.
Honey:
* Honey is good for you! Honey is primarily composed of fructose, glucose, and water. Honey contains many vitamins including B1, B2, B6, C, E, K, and A. Honey also contains calcium, phosphorous, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, trace enzymes, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants. For more detailed information on honey, please visit the National Honey Board at www.nhb.org.
* Medicinal uses of bee products have been explored and implemented in diverse cultures throughout antiquity and in modern day texts. For example, Hippocrates and Democritus advised the use of honey for optimal health, and believed it could help cure disease. Hippocrates said in 400 B.C., "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food".
* One of the most common historical uses of honey was for the treatment of wounds. Honey was used as a salve, either alone or mixed with fat. Because of its antibiotic properties, it was said to heal dead tissues and ulcers. The sugar concentration in honey is so high that no bacteria can live in it. Honey was often used to treat gun shot wounds not only because of its bactericidal properties, but also because the consistency prohibited air and irritants from entering the wound, and in many cases it was more accessible than other forms of treatment. Honey has even been used in hospitals as a dressing for wounds, burns, and cuts!
* Honey is believed to help the immune system and fight infection. It is often used as a "home remedy" to treat colds. Honey mixed with lemon can be a soothing cough syrup.
* Ancient texts claim that honey may help to cure diseases of the lungs, liver, kidneys, and heart. Another interesting cure in many of the ancient medical texts is that of treating eye problems with a honey salve. Honey was used to treat conjunctiva, styes, swelling, cataracts, and eyesores.
* Mead (honey wine) is believed to be one of the oldest forms of alcoholic beverages. Many different societies produced and drank mead and its importance can be found in various countries including India, Ethiopia, Greece, Germany, and many others. Information on mead is vast and there are many sources for recipes, varieties, and history.
* Many current studies have promoted the intake of honey for athletes. Honey is a highly effective natural energy booster.
For more information on bees in antiquity, bee symbols, and other unusual history check out -
