Honey is the carbs in the bee's diet and provides fuel for their flights. Obviously a favorite of ours as a sweetener in our foods and hot drinks or even drizzled over a hot pastry is divine.
But did you know that Honey also has many medicinal values and antibacterial properties with a unique pH balance that promotes oxygen and healing compounds to a wound?
Pollen - Fresh pollen provides nutritional food for bees and people as well. It's the main source of protein in the bee's diet.
Like honey and propolis, other well-known honey bee products that are gathered rather than secreted (i.e., in contrast to royal jelly and beeswax), the exact chemical composition depends on the plants from which the worker bees gather the pollen, and can vary from hour to hour, day to day, week to week, colony to colony, even in the same apiary, with no two samples of bee pollen being exactly identical.
Propolis - A resin-like material made by bees from the buds of poplar and cone-bearing trees. Uses of propolis are wide and varied, and include:
Treatment for burns and cuts
Remedy for urinary infections
Remedy for dental plaque
Immune system strengthener
Treatment for cold sores, genital herpes and other viruses
Treatment for dermatitis and acne
Relief for sore throats or inflamed tonsils
Preventative treatment to ward off oncoming colds
Treatment for ulcers
Relief for arthritis and other joint pain.
Royal Jelly - is used for asthma, hay fever, liver disease, pancreatitis, sleep troubles (insomnia), premenstrual syndrome (PMS), stomach ulcers, kidney disease, bone fractures, menopausal symptoms, skin disorders, and high cholesterol, to name a few.
Venom - Research has shown that bee venom is around 100 times the strength of a cortisone shot when used for treating inflammation related pain, such as arthritis. Numerous other health issues are being treated successfully with bee venom therapy.
Wax - Over and above the use for candles, beeswax is used for high cholesterol, pain, fungal skin infections, and other conditions.
