The Sticky On Honey

The Sticky On Honey

Written By :  Jeffrey R Hilton

Feb 9, 2012
Publication # 125

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Honey,  that golden elixir provided by discerning bee's everywhere.  When it comes to choices,  honey comes in a huge amount of different types,  from different countries,  from different exclusive flowers and tree's,  that give honey it's unique characteristics and flavors.  Honey is made from nectar collected by honey bees,  (genus- apis) from either one species of flower or from many different species of flowers.   Growing up on a farm,  we had the need for the beekeeper from down the road,  (Mr. Inning) to come to our farm at least once a year to remove beehives that were not in ideal locations.  I never failed to miss this show and waited patiently for the sweet waxy honeycomb,  that I knew would be forthcoming.  to this day,  I still buy honeycomb once in awhile as a sort of comfort food with a link to childhood.

Honey has been around since bees and flowers were created.  The ancient Egyptians used it much like we do,  mostly to sweeten biscuits and bread.  They also used honey for embalming,  in Egypt and the Middle East.  Honey has approximately the same amount of sweetness equal to refined white sugar and contains mono saccarides,  fructose,  maltose sucrose,  water,  ash and  glucose. 3.2% of undetermined particularly harmful to infants substance,  is also in honey.  Honey can contain endo-spores of the bacterium, clostridium botulinum.  This can seriously harm an infants undeveloped digestive tract.   If you have a weak stomach and are fond of honey,  you might want to skip over the next paragraph,  forever ignorant in the ways in honey production .  For myself,  I like to know what I'm eating and anything else that pertains to more knowledge about it.  Besides that,  I love honey and wild killer bees couldn't keep me away.   Maybe not eh ?     

When the nectar is brought back by female workers,  the primary nectar gatherers,  it is regurgitated and swallowed again several times,  until partially digestible.  Once suitable results are obtained,  water content is still high so the bees fan their wings over the honeycomb to enhance the evaporation process and raising the sugar content,  and preventing fermentation.  The finished product is meant to provide the bees with their main food source.  Each hive contains only one queen and a small number of drones to fertilize new queens.  Another 20 to 40,000 in the hives are female workers that raise larvae and collect nectar.  These female worker honey bees are the only ones that can sting you.  Drones cannot and while queens can,  they typically do not leave the hive.

6000 YR OLD SPANISH CAVE PAINTING DEPICTING HONEY GATHERING

These female nectar gatherers are usually not aggressive at all unless you step on one or handle it roughly.  They will however, attack ferociously if the hive is threatened.  As they sting you,  they also release a warning pheromone to others from the hive to come to their aid.  People often think that a worker bee can only sting once, and while this is true if their barbed stinger is left behind in your skin, If it doesn't,  then the bee can sting again.  If the skin is tough where the sting is, it often doesn't penetrate the skin.  

There are basically 14 kinds of honey as follows.

Alfalfa
Avocado
Blueberry
Buckwheat,  said to be packed with antioxidants.
Clover
Eucalyptus
Fireweed
Heather
Manuka
Orange Blossom
Sage
Tupelo
Wildflower
Ambrosia

These 14 types of honey are then broken down into category as either, poly-floral,  mono-floral or honeydew.  This honey can be purchased in various states of either,  crystallized,  pasteurized,  raw,  strained,  filtered, ultra sonicated, whipped,  dried,  comb,  or chunk
and in different grades.  

A surprising fact about bears is that while bears do end up eating honey,  it's the bee larvae in the hive they are more interested in. 

Recently,  bee populations have been under threat,  their numbers declining and keepers often suffer from Colony Collapse,  where the whole colony suddenly disappears.  Many fingers point to use of genetically modified crops and pesticides.  Since most food crops depend on pollination from bees,  it is of utmost importance to ensure bees survival in a healthy Eco system.   

~  More Fast Honey Facts ~ 

In Hinduism,  Honey is considered one of the 5 elixirs of immortality. 

In Jewish culture,  honey is a part of Rosh Hashanah and bringing in the new year.

Pure honey is considered Kosher.

Smoke directed at a hive passifies the bees,  making them less aggressive for collecting the honey from the hive.

Honey can be used medicinally for burns, rashes and sore throats.

Bees can carry an electrostatic charge,  that attracts other particles.

Micro organisms cannot grow in honey due to it's low water activity,  0.6.

Honey contains trace minerals.

Honey has always been stored traditionally in ceramic or wooden vessels.

Modern storage for honey has been changed to plastic or glass.

In Germany,  Bulgaria,  Greece and Northern California, Pine Honey,  a type of honeydew makes up 60 to 65% of annual honey production.  This honey is not as sweet as our traditional honey.  This honey is collected from aphids and other sap sucking insects.  The honey tastes like Stewed fruit or fig jam.  this honey can carry high amounts of indigestible that can cause dysentery.

Tupelo honey derived from the Tupelo White Gum Tree,  is the most expensive honey to buy and to produce.

Honey beer has a pleasant taste.

Mexico supplies 10 % of the worlds honey.

Wine made with honey,  called, Mead has been produced for 1000's of years.

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Do Have A Good Day,  And Bee Healthy

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Jeff R Hilton