The Buzz About Bees
The Buzz About Bees
How honey bees provide for us and help whole world
They can hurt, they can heal, they bring us honey and they help bring forth fruits and flowers into this abundant world we live in. As a second generation beekeeper and an advocate for the natural, the more I learn about these miraculous critters the more I respect and revere them. Everything that honey bees do benefit something else. Even their stings hold medicinal benefits for those that are not allergic.
Honey bees get their food foraging from flowers within approximately a 6-mile radius. They harvest nectar and pollen from select plants, and through doing this they pollinate these plants so that they may procreate. The honey that they make by processing the nectar is a natural sugar that is lower on the glycemic index than sugar and a great replacement for cane sugar in anything from your coffee or tea to baking. Honey is also an amazing topical for wounds - healing cuts or burns swiftly with virtually no scarring. It is also used as an additive to many beauty products, sometimes used straight up for facials or added to baths and soaks. The pollen is an incredible source of diverse proteins, containing all 22 amino acids that humans need to survive. The energy support I’ve felt when including bee pollen in my diet is noticeably strong. As long as you are getting product from around your area, honey and pollen can help people desensitize their plant based allergies.
Beeswax, the bee’s structural compound from which they build their storage and home for their young, is also used in beauty products, salves, lotions, chapsticks and more. It can provide light (or a special touch in an altar or for a romantic dinner) through candles. Another compound you will find inside their home is propolis. Propolis is a sealant or glue for the bees. It is harvested by tending to plants and trees that have been damaged and harvesting the sap from them. This substance is antibiotic, antibacterial, and anti fungal. It is great for healing wounds and excellent for dental issues and dental health in general. It also contains minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, copper, zinc, manganese, and iron and vitamins C, E, and B vitamin that can be absorbed by taking it internally.
As a beekeeper, you are taught by the bees through their behavior that there is a time to work with them, and a certain attitude or ‘vibe’ to hold when doing so. If you’re angry, irritated or impatient and aren’t wearing the right protective equipment, you’ll likely catch a sting or two. I personally choose to work with the bees without wearing gloves because it’s easier to move and grip what I need to, as well as reminding me to move mindfully when I am inviting myself into their home. As for the medical benefits of a bee sting, it comes from your immune system getting triggered and sending white blood cells to the localized area of the sting. Bee venom therapy, a form of apitherapy, is used to help in treatment of arthritis, multiple sclerosis (M.S.), Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. It is a method that must be approached carefully considering the potential side effects. Some have questioned whether the bee’s stinger was the first acupuncture needle. Even the bee's hum or ‘buzz’ has therapeutic qualities - there are beekeepers in Eastern Europe who build ‘beehive bed boxes’ in which they actually sleep above the hives and report that they sleep better and glean health benefits for their immune and neurological systems through doing so.
Royal Jelly, the food that bees feed to queen bees is another major ‘superfood’ from the hive. Royal jelly is high in antioxidants and is rich in nutrients. It can help with stress, increase your drive, and has neurological benefits. It can help with cancer treatment side effects, menopausal symptoms, and overall help support and build your immune system. Every time I work with bees I learn something new and am so grateful to be in a position to further my education and the bees’ procreation. I truly feel that they are one of the most karmically sound living beings. They make everything in surplus (as long as the hive is healthy and it’s a good year!)
Trevor and his father, Robert Brachmann, are the owners of Country Honey, a small apiary that provides delicious local raw honey of the highest quality. They pride themselves on keeping their process as natural as possible, using natural rhythms and seasonal changes to set the tone for their work schedule. You can find their honey in Ellicottville at Dom’s Butcher Block, Ellicottville Coffee Company, and at the Ellicottville Farmers Market (with candles and propolis tinctures as well) each Friday from 4:00-7:00pm.