I spoke about bees and beekeeping before, and mentioned that Jeremy and I have a dream of keeping our own hive. In the meantime, I'm lucky to live in a city that appreciates the bees and their hives - and hosts a lot of farmer's markets where you can get local honey! After attending a small presentation on the benefits of bee products, I'm inspired to eat honey every day for the month of May to see if any positive changes occur. Will I feel more energetic or alert? Not sure, maybe not, but honey tastes too good not to try!
During our experience at the New Living Expo this weekend (and it was quite an experience that I will hopefully get to in more detail soon), we attended a presentation by Charles Shipp, beekeeper and apitherapy supporter. Mr. Shipp gave an overview of the health benefits of, not just honey, but other products bees produce. How much do you know about royal jelly, bee pollen, and propolis? I know next to nothing before the presentation!
Mr. Shipp, who was a friendly and slightly awkward older man, talked about popular American medicine's refusal toward bee medicine. According to him, bee medicine has been used by many cultures for ages, yet it's ignored by modern doctors in the West. That makes sense to me, since some herbal medicines produce dubious results. However, if I don't expect bee medicine to help me get fit from head to toe, why not try it?
According to Shipp, royal jelly, bee pollen, and propolis will add years to your life, supply you with complete proteins, and sooth inflammation, respectively. You may have heard of royal jelly being used in skin care recently. It's actually the milky substance that bees produce to feed only their hive queen. This is solely the queen's diet, and that's why she's bigger than other honey bees. Bee pollen sounds a little like a quinoa substitute. Meanwhile, propolis is tree sap that has been collected by the bees sanitize their larvae pods. How cool is that?
While it's amazing to hear about how and why the bees produce these substances (which I'll touch on in a bit), it's important to do your research before eating a jar of propolis for breakfast. In our enthusiasm for bee products, Jeremy and I looked up university studies online that could clue us in on more details of their benefits or dangers. Glad that we didn't spend up to $50 on royal jelly and pollen, we found that for some, sever allergic reactions can occur when ingesting these items. While I believe that Mr. Shipp, along with the other beekeepers we spoke to, each take a bit of them each day, it's not for us. It doesn't seem worth the risk when there are already plenty of other ways to eat well. We'll stick to our honey! It has been said that if you want to get over a certain region's allergies, you can ingest its local honey.
One of the most interesting things I got out of the presentation was the more, how do I put it, spiritual or "out there" aspects of beekeeping. A much more extreme version of this was possibly touched on in Wax. Mr. Shipp briefly mentioned the connection he and some beekeepers report about their hives. After respectfully working with the hive for some time, the keeper and the bees become friends or equals. Some keepers even come as far as not having to wear protective clothing when tending to their hive. He even mentioned that a kind of initiation occurs between keeper and hive when the keeper is first stung. Jeremy mentioned that it sounded like a hazing ritual.
Apart from their human keepers, bees do seem to have an uncanny way of buzzing about their short lives. I mentioned before the exclusive diet of royal jelly each queen intakes. In the hive, royal jelly may be produced by her bees, but only she may eat it. The temperament of the queen, which varies over her lifespan, affects the temperament of the hive, so a happy queen is very important for good honey production. Mr. Shipp likened the queen bee to a goddess by the pampering and attention she receives from and the affect she has on her bees. In short, the mysterious way of the bee almost sounded divine.
It's hard to find Charles Shipp's book, An Introduction to Bee Medicine, for purchase, but there is plenty of bee literature out there. There's so much more I can get into, and perhaps I will at a later date. One of my favorite beekeeping segments, though, I share with you below.
During our experience at the New Living Expo this weekend (and it was quite an experience that I will hopefully get to in more detail soon), we attended a presentation by Charles Shipp, beekeeper and apitherapy supporter. Mr. Shipp gave an overview of the health benefits of, not just honey, but other products bees produce. How much do you know about royal jelly, bee pollen, and propolis? I know next to nothing before the presentation!
 |
| Charles Shipp's bees, as photographed by Jeremy at the New Living Expo |
According to Shipp, royal jelly, bee pollen, and propolis will add years to your life, supply you with complete proteins, and sooth inflammation, respectively. You may have heard of royal jelly being used in skin care recently. It's actually the milky substance that bees produce to feed only their hive queen. This is solely the queen's diet, and that's why she's bigger than other honey bees. Bee pollen sounds a little like a quinoa substitute. Meanwhile, propolis is tree sap that has been collected by the bees sanitize their larvae pods. How cool is that?
While it's amazing to hear about how and why the bees produce these substances (which I'll touch on in a bit), it's important to do your research before eating a jar of propolis for breakfast. In our enthusiasm for bee products, Jeremy and I looked up university studies online that could clue us in on more details of their benefits or dangers. Glad that we didn't spend up to $50 on royal jelly and pollen, we found that for some, sever allergic reactions can occur when ingesting these items. While I believe that Mr. Shipp, along with the other beekeepers we spoke to, each take a bit of them each day, it's not for us. It doesn't seem worth the risk when there are already plenty of other ways to eat well. We'll stick to our honey! It has been said that if you want to get over a certain region's allergies, you can ingest its local honey.
 |
| My very serious notes taken during the presentation |
Apart from their human keepers, bees do seem to have an uncanny way of buzzing about their short lives. I mentioned before the exclusive diet of royal jelly each queen intakes. In the hive, royal jelly may be produced by her bees, but only she may eat it. The temperament of the queen, which varies over her lifespan, affects the temperament of the hive, so a happy queen is very important for good honey production. Mr. Shipp likened the queen bee to a goddess by the pampering and attention she receives from and the affect she has on her bees. In short, the mysterious way of the bee almost sounded divine.
It's hard to find Charles Shipp's book, An Introduction to Bee Medicine, for purchase, but there is plenty of bee literature out there. There's so much more I can get into, and perhaps I will at a later date. One of my favorite beekeeping segments, though, I share with you below.
No comments:
Post a Comment