Healing salve for burns

How to Make an Herbal Raw Honey Ointment: For the Treatment of Burns and Wounds JUNE 24, 2012 BY ANDREA 28 COMMENTS [H]erbal raw honey ointment…nothing is as powerful to encourage skin healing like raw honey! Combined with medicinal herbs and bursting with antibacterial and antiseptic properties, this ointment is a must-have in everyone’s first aid kit. Just wait until you try it! One use is all you need in order to see its’ amazing effects…you won’t want to be without it. And a little goes a long way. Benefits of the Ingredients The beauty of making our own medicinal salves at home is the ability we possess to control the ingredients. I will share with you my recipe, but as always…feel free to let your creativity and wisdom regarding medicinal herbs guide you. This honey-based ointment’s powerhouse ingredients include… Olive oil. Full of vitamins A, D, E and K, olive oil nourishes the skin for fast healing. Comfrey. Encourages the reproduction of cells therefore working to support the mending of sprains, bruises, swellings, burns and sores. Marshmallow root. A wonderful anti-inflammatory herb that will also soften and soothe the skin. Likewise, it’s great for burn and wound healing as it contains large amounts of zinc and vitamin A. Wormwood. Reduces the effects of soreness and pain. Witch hazel bark. It’s anti-inflammatory and astringent properties are excellent for treatment of blisters, burns, cuts and wounds. Raw, all-natural honey. Raw honey provides the base of this ointment and is a well-known antibacterial agent. Honey is also highly nourishing, often reducing the risk for infection and scarring. …and we use it for the treatment of: -1st or 2nd degree skin burns -Rashes -Sunburns -Minor wounds -Chapped skin and lips The Recipe Ingredients -1/4 ounce of each dried comfrey, marshmallow root, wormwood, and witch hazel bark* -1 1/4 cup olive oil -4 ounces raw honey* -1-2 ounces beeswax* *All measurements are by weight and use of a simple kitchen scale. Method 1. Weigh the dried herbs using a kitchen scale. 2. Prepare the oil infusion. You can do this one of three ways: Cold Infusion.In a glass mason jar, cover the weighed herbs with 1 ¼ cup of oil. Stir to combine, and allow oil and herb mixture to steep for 4-6 weeks. Hot Oil Extract. In a glass mason jar, cover the herbs with 1 ¼ cup of oil. Stir to combine. Place the glass jar in a pot on the stove, or in a crock pot, filled with a few inches of water on lowest setting (Be sure to put a towel on the bottom of the pot.). Infuse the oil and herbs for 4-8 hours, a day, or up to 3 days. Note: Watch the pot and add water as it evaporates. Alternatively. According to Rosemary Gladstar, you may also do it this way; “Place the herbs and the oil in a double boiler and bring to a low simmer. Slowly heat for 30 to 60 minutes, checking frequently to be sure the oil is not overheating.” 3. Strain the oil and herb infusion through a cheesecloth. Squeezing to extract as much oil as possible. Be sure you collect at least 1 cup of herb infused oil. 4. In a saucepan, over very low heat, melt 1-2 ounces (depending on how thick you’d like your salve) of beeswax. I suggest starting with the lesser amount of wax and adding more if needed. Note: To check if the mixture is the right consistency, because the salve hardens as it cools, Rosemary Gladstar again suggests placing a “tablespoon of the mixture in the freezer for just a minute or two. If it’s soft, add more beeswax; if too hard, add more oil.” 5. Allow salve to cool on the counter. As it hardens, begin to stir with an electric stick blender until creamy and smooth. 6. Continue to stir with stick blender until salve is cooled to approximately 90-100 degrees fahrenheit. Then add raw honey. Blend well. 7. Pour ointment into storage containers – click here to purchase new tins or jars…otherwise a good ole mason jar works just fine! Will keep for a year when stored in a cool, dark place. To use: Apply directly to a clean burn, blister, or wound and bandage as you normally would. Note: I purchased the dried herbs for this ointment from Mountain Rose Herbs and/or the Bulk Herb Store. Find beeswax here. Raw honey can be found online through the Bulk Herb Store or use this website to search for it locally. Not up for another DIY? You may also be interested to purchase a tin of this Raw Honey Burn and Wound Ointment – lovingly made by me — from my little Etsy shop! Do you use raw honey for wound healing? Tell us about it! And as always…if you really enjoyed this post I would be so honored if you’d click this link and subscribe to the blog! To those of you who have been committed readers, thank you.

What happens to the bees in the winter?

What happens to bees in winter? The survival of the bee through the cold months of winter is largely dependent upon the particular kind of over 1,000 species to which it belongs. Generally speaking, the social bees do not summer in the South during the winter, as do migratory birds, but, instead, live or die in their natural environs. The young queen bumblebee, who earns her title by being the one egg-laying female, or queen mother, in the colony of social bees, does survive the winter. She does so by burrowing out a hold in a well-drained sandbank, or simply by taking the easy way out by moving into a pre-owned home, such as a deserted mouse nest. Once settled into her nest, she plays happy homemaker and makes beebread from the nectar and the pollen she collected all summer, dumps the load of bread, lays eggs on it, covers it with wax, and relaxes atop it. Approximately 250,000 eggs later, her Highness washes her hands of the whole thing, and leaves the work to her offspring. As soon as the workers, or fertilized, but non-egg producing females sprout wings, they set to work, and only later get assistance in the form of drones, or unfertilized males. The workers bees and drones, who toiled for the queen all summer, are rewarded for their efforts by a certain death in winter. No bother...they are easily replaced by cheap labor, when the queen lays more eggs in the spring, and puts her new brood to work. Her counterpart, the young queen honeybee, earns her title by being the first of the special queen cells to emerge, and literally kills her competition, her sisters, in their queen cells, before they have the chance to emerge. The colony she rules is the epitome of efficiency, as it adapts to endure a full range of adverse climates. This species of honey-producing bee, ergo the honeybee, winters in a temperature-controlled hive. The worker bee thermostatically controls his hive with great precision, ensuring that the temperature in the hive's nursery, where baby bees are developing, is maintained at 93 degrees Fahrenheit, and that the temperature in the remainder of the hive does not drop below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The worker bees accomplish this winter task by fueling up on the honey that they have stored, and by releasing heat as they feast. The honeybee wisely keeps a stash of honey for herself, after the beekeeper has had his take, thus benefiting from his labor in the warmer months. The social bees utilize these months in a productive manner, by buzzing from flower to flower, sucking up the flowers' nectar as they bumble along. The nectar the bees extract from the flower flows to their honey sacs, which are enlargements of their digestive tracts, and are located in front of the belly of the bees. Here, the sugars from the sweet nectar of the flower, chemically transform, and are reduced through the honeybee's built-in mechanism to evaporate large quantities of water contained in the nectar. The honeybee stores the end product, honey, both internally, and externally. Pooh-like "honeypot" cells store the thinner version of honey, honey with a short "shelf-life," and honeycombs, the more concentrated version, honey with the "shelf-life" of canned goods in wartime. In a sense, the honeybee is preparing to combat, and to survive, the bitter winter months that lie ahead.

Dry skin Honey Facial Mask

For Dry Skin: Honey and Egg Mask You will need 1 tablespoon honey 1 egg yolk 1/2 teaspoon almond oil 1 tablespoon yogurt Instructions: Put all ingredients into a large bowl and stir until it becomes sticky and thick. Apply the mask to your face for 5 minutes and wash face thoroughly with a mild facial soap. Honey stimulates and smoothes, egg and almond oil penetrate and moisturize, and yogurt refines and tightens pores. The egg yolk also helps to lighten up the skin.

Honey Beauty Recipes

Honey Cleansing Scrub

Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with 2 tablespoons finely ground almonds and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. Rub gently onto face. Rinse off with warm water.

Firming Face

Whisk together 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon glycerin (available at drug and beauty stores) and enough flour to form a paste (approximately 1/4 cup). Smooth over face and throat. Leave on 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Hair Conditioner

Mix 1/2 cup honey and 1/4 cup olive oil. (Use 2 tablespoons oil for normal hair.) Work a small amount at a time through hair until coated. Cover hair with a shower cap; leave on 30 minutes. Remove shower cap; shampoo well and rinse. Dry as normal.

Facial Toner

In blender, puree 1 tablespoon honey with a peeled, cored apple. Smooth over face; leave on 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

Moisture Mask
Mix 2 tablespoons honey with 2 teaspoons milk.   Smooth over face and throat.  Leave on 10 minutes.  Rinse off with warm water.

Smoothing Skin Lotion
Mix teaspoon honey with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice. Rub into hands, elbows, heels and anywhere that feels dry. Leave on 10 minutes. Rinse off with water.

Skin Softening Bath 
Add 1/4 cup honey to bath water for a fragrant, silky bath.

Hair Shine
 Stir 1 teaspoon honey into 4 cups (1 quart) warm water. Blondes may wish to add a squeeze of lemon. After shampooing, pour mixture through hair. Do not rinse out. Dry as normal.

Healthy Butternut Squash Soup

Healthy Butternut Squash Soup

from the National Honey Board

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Ingredients

6 cups - butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 - medium onion
2 - garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons - almond oil
2 - 14.5 oz. cans - low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon - dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon - ground black pepper
Pinch - cayenne pepper
12 oz. - 1/3 less-fat cream cheese

Directions

To make cutting the squash easier: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut two butternut squash in half and place cut side down on non-stick cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes. Sauté onions and garlic in large saucepan. Add chicken broth, squash, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper and bring to boil. Cook for about 15 minutes. Put squash mixture into blender with cream cheese in batches until smooth. Heat (do not boil) and serve. Pour into shot glasses to serve.

Copyright 2013, National Honey Board.
All Rights Reserved.

Honey Cherry Energy Bars

Honey Cherry Energy Bars

from the National Honey Board

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Ingredients

cup - almonds, whole, raw
1/2 cup - honey
1/2 cup - dried cherries
3 Tablespoons - coconut
6 - dates, pitted

Directions

In a high-powered blender, blend honey, cherries, coconut, almonds and dates. Blend on high and stir as needed. Spray an 8” x 8” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Put the mixture in the baking dish and flatten out bars with a piece of plastic wrap on top to prevent sticking. Refrigerate for two hours.

Courtesy of Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD

Copyright 2013, National Honey Board.

All Rights Reserved.

Ceylon Cinnamon Versus Cassia Cinnamon

"Eat only the real Ceylon cinnamon", someone warned me in a discussion about the benefits of honey and cinnamon in our Benefits of Honey Facebook Fan Page. This was when I had my epiphany about cinnamon. Before that, it has never struck me how a familiar spice like cinnamon could possibly be "fake". Much puzzled by that remark, I queried further to get more information and subsequently was rewarded with an enlightenment on this exotic spice through a more intensive search in the world wide web. My subsequent aquiring and tasting of the real cinnamon (both ground and sticks) also confirmed what others have said about the two types of cinnamon. The following will open your eyes to realise that not all cinnamon are equal and to know exactly what kind of cinnamon you have been eating.

Real Cinnamon

Ceylon cinnamon has been hailed as the "true cinnamon" or the "real cinnamon" that possesses outstanding health benefits especially for the diabetics and those challenged by obesity and high cholesterol issues. Unfortunately this cinnamon which is native to Sri Lanka and sourced from the plant Cinnamomum zeylanicum is rather unknown to most people. In the United States and many parts of Asia, what the majority of us have been buying from the Supermarket and groceries and consuming is actually not the real cinnamon but Cassia cinnamon, which comes from a different plant called Cinnamomum cassia, also known as Chinese cinnamon that are mostly cultivated in China and Indonesia. While the two species of cinnamon share certain characteristics such as antimicrobial, and in terms of inhibiting the growth of fungi and yeast, and regulating blood sugar, their contents differ much in terms of the amount of coumarin, which is a naturally ocurring substance with strong blood-thinning properties. The coumarin level in Ceylon cinnamon is negligibly small, while that in Cassia cinnamon is an appalling 1200 times higher. The ingestion of large amount of coumarin or consumption of coumarin over a prolonged period of time can cause serious health damages and a negative impact on the liver and kidney. German FDA has warned against consuming the excessive intake of Cassia bark due to its coumarin content.

Ground Cinnamon

Because there is no way to tell if the cinnamon powder has been made from the Ceylon or true cinnamon versus the Cassia cinnamon, and most bottles of cinnamon we buy (including the bottle I currently have in my kitchen) do not indicate the type of cinnamon tree the cinnamon is sourced from. In many countries this Ceylon cinnamon is just not imported in the country. Check directly with the supplier to ascertain its origin of the cinnamon before buying the cinnamon powder. And my review of the two types of cinnamon powder? When the packages (ground and sticks) were air-freighted to me, I immediately opened one up and took a sniff of the powder. WOW BANG! It was exactly like how others have described it! The aroma was sweet enough to make you fall in love with it immediately. Its pleasant fragrance was a heaven and earth difference from the harsh, pungent Cassia cinnamon I had always known. Never did I ever expect cinnamon could smell so delightful. Immediately I was able to imagine the vast difference in taste it would make for baking pastries and cakes. Before that, I was never able to understand how one could make their own Christmas ornaments with Cinnamon sticks or allow the natural fragrance of cinnamon to fill their home. Now with just one sniff of the Ceylon cinnamon, I could make all those connections straight away. What a lovely discovery!

Cinnamon Sticks

As for the cinnamon sticks, there are several ways of determining whether you are getting the real deal. I've taken a picture of the two types and placed them side by side. Study the following table and check the cinnamon sticks in your kitchen right away to find what you have been eating all this time. 

Ceylon Cinnamon	Cassia Cinnamon
A highly valued culinary and medicinal spice. Price can be 10 times or more than the Chinese cinnamon.	Commonly available and very cheap.
Tan brown in colour.	Reddish dark brown.
Thin and paper-like textured bark that forms multiple layers when rolled up.	Uneven thick bark that forms only a few layers when rolled up.
Fragile, easily broken.	Tough, difficult to grind to powder.
Delicate, sweet with subtle notes of clove.	Pungent, full-bodied taste.

Great Recipe from the National Honey Board

Spicy Pickled Carrots

from the National Honey Board

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Ingredients

4 cups - white vinegar
2-1/2 cups - honey
2 Tablespoons - pickling spice
3 lbs. - baby carrots or carrots cut into slices

Directions

In a small stainless steel or enamel saucepan, bring vinegar, honey and spice to a boil, stirring to dissolve honey. Remove from heat and cover pan to keep contents hot. Pack carrots into 6 hot sterilized pint jars, filling to 1/4 inch from tops. Add honey mixture, filling to 1/4 inch from tops. Wipe rims of jars; top with lids. Screw on bands. Place jars on rack in canning kettle of hot water, adding water if necessary to bring water level to 1 inch above tops of jars. Bring water to a rolling boil; boil for 30 minutes. Remove jars carefully and cool on wire rack.

Copyright 2013, National Honey Board.
All Rights Reserved.

Amazing Cayenne Salve for Sore Muscles

How to Make Cayenne Salve

by Rosalee de la Forêt

Every two months we feature a different herb on HerbMentor.com so that we can really dive into learning particular plants on a deeper level.

During this cold and dark time of the year we are learning more about one of the hottest and most popular spices in the world: cayenne.

The health benefits of cayenne are truly astounding!

From its heart-protective qualities to boosting the immune system, it will even stop bleeding from a cut or wound!

If you master only one herb in your life, master cayenne pepper. It is more powerful than anything else. —Dr. Richard Shulze

In this article we are going to look at one of cayenne’s many benefits: easing pain.

History of cayenne

Cayenne comes from the Capsicum genus that also includes bell peppers, chilies, paprikas and habaneros.

This genus is from the Americas and has been cultivated for use for at least 7,000 years. Some of the early european explorers brought the seeds from South America back to Europe and they quickly spread around the world.

The etymology of the word Capsicum is believed to have been derived from Greek, meaning “to bite”.

What makes it bite?

Cayenne has a hot and acrid taste. This “bite” or heat is caused by the constituent capsaicin. The more capsaicin a pepper has the more heat or bite to it. This amount varies greatly between species and varieties.

One method of measuring this bite or heat is the Scoville heat units (SHU). Cayenne has around 30,000 - 50,000 SHU. In contrast, bell peppers have 0 and habaneros have more than 100,000.

Cayenne for Pain

Cayenne is famous for reducing many types of pain. It works by effecting your nervous system. Substance P is a neurotransmitter that relays information and results in what we call pain. Capsaicin, a major constituent of cayenne peppers, blocks substance P and therefore reduces pain.

When cayenne is used topically it can relieve many different types of pain, from diabetic neuropathy, shingles, migraine headaches, back aches, arthritis, menstrual cramps and bruises.

Cayenne Salve

Today’s recipe is a super simple salve that can be made up very quickly and bring big-time pain relief.

For this recipe you’ll need...

• 1/2 cup olive oil
  
• Two heaping teaspoons of cayenne powder (or 15 grams). (Just pick this up at the market if you don't have any.)
  
• 1/2 ounce of beeswax(Available at Mountain Rose Herbs, along with cayenne)
  
• Double boiler(Don't have one? Try a local thirft store.)
  
• Cheesecloth(Available in supermarkets.)

Begin by infusing the cayenne into the olive oil over a double burner.

I heat the oil and cayenne until it is warm, turn off the heat and let it sit (warmly) for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat on again.

I do this for at least one hour to a couple of hours, you could do it for 24 hours if desired.

Once the cayenne and olive oil have been infused, strain off the powder through a cheesecloth. Reserve the infused oil.

Heat the beeswax until it is melted. Stir in the infused oil until the beeswax and oil have been thoroughly melted together and combined.

Immediately pour this mixture into jars or tins. (Makes roughly 4 ounces).

Let it cool and then label it.

Using your cayenne salve

This cayenne salve can be used on aches and pains, from sore muscles and joints to bruises and even nerve pain.

It is best for closed wounds and may sting a bit on open wounds. Even on closed skin you may feel a bit of burning or heat in the area where it is used. It should be applied externally only and used within 6 months for the best results.

If using it for arthritic pain it may take up to a week or two to see results. In this case you want to use it daily to decrease chronic pain.

Caution: When cayenne comes in contact with your mucosal membranes or eyes it will burn! Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching cayenne or use gloves to apply the salve to the desired area. If you are using the cayenne salve on your hands, consider applying it at night and then sleeping with gloves on.

We’d Love to Hear From You!

Do you use cayenne for pain relief?

We’d love to hear how it works for you in the comments below. Or perhaps you are using cayenne in some other way. Please feel free to share!

~Rosalee

Todays To Do List

Got to make our world famous Hot and Spicy Honey Mustard.  Just waiting to make sure that it is as hot as it needs to be but not so hot that your tongue doesn't catch on fire.
Plan on starting a few other new projects today.  I get off work early enough to actually get some things done for the Bee Yard.

The Honey Bee

The Honey Bee

Compiled by Glen K. Hester

1. Introduction

Insects are by far the most numerous group of animals in the world. Butterflies are considered beautiful and wonderful to hold, but few people will pick up a Praying Mantis. Most of us consider insects ugly and pests, especially if they are found in our homes. Yet without them the world, as we know it would be a vastly different place. One third of the human diet is derived directly or indirectly from insect-pollinated plants. An estimated 80 percent of insect crop pollination is accomplished by honeybees.

When people think of bees they usually only think of one thing - the sting. Honeybees are herbivores and not aggressive creatures by nature. They only use their stinger if they feel threatened. Most people are stung by the more aggressive yellow jackets or wasps.

The study of the honeybee in the classroom will provide your students with a fascinating look into the life of one of the "social insects". It will increase the students knowledge about the role of this insect in the ecosystem, and help to alleviate the unjustified fear which many people have towards them. It would also serve as a good introduction and preparation for a field trip to a commercially run apiary.

2. Background

Honeybees have been present on the Earth for millions of years. One of the oldest agricultural pursuits known to man is beekeeping. Early settlers to North America had a limited and expensive source of sugar, so honeybees were exported from Europe to establish apiaries here. The honey and beeswax gathered were used for many purposes. Today, many advances have been made in this aspect of agriculture. Some people derive their income from their apiaries while many others keep honeybees as a hobby.

3. The Beehive

Honeybees are called "social insects" because they live together in a society with adults and young sharing the same dwelling, and they exhibit a co-operative behaviour. No individual honeybee can survive on its own. They are all dependent of each other. Honeybees cannot be domesticated, but they are just as much at home in a man-made hive as they are in a hollow tree or cave.

Beehives are constructed from a wide variety of materials throughout the world including mud, straw, and wooden boxes. In North America most beekeepers use a series of wooden box frames placed on top of each other to form a beehive. The major parts of a hive are shown in diagram one.

DIAGRAM 1 - PARTS OF THE HIVE

Outer cover Keeps rain and snow from entering the hive. It is usually covered with metal.

Inner cover Fits snugly over the top honey sugar to keep the honeybees in and everything else out

Honey supers Each super holds 9 frames of honeycomb. This is where extra honey is stored by the honeybees. As one super is filled with honey the beekeeper adds another one throughout the summer months. It is this honey which the beekeeper harvests.

Queen excluder a frame of metal bars wide enough for worker honeybees to pass through, but not the queen. This keeps the queen laying eggs in the brood chamber, not in the honey supers.

Brood chambers Each chamber holds 9 frames of honeycomb in which the queen lays her eggs.  The eggs develop into adults here. This is the part of the hive where most of the honeybees are found, and the only place to find the queen. Most beekeepers use two brood chambers. Honey and pollen are stored here as food for the honeybees.

Bottom board Supports all of the boxes holding the bees and honey. It is the main entrance for the bees.

Hive stand Keeps the hive off of the ground to prevent the wood from rotting.

4. Occupants of the Hive

In a beehive there are different kinds of honeybees each having different responsibilities and characteristics.

THE QUEEN

The queen is the mother of all the honeybees in the hive. She does not act as a ruler of the hive, but she is waited upon, fed, and protected by the worker honeybees. The queen has one job in the hive. As the only fertile adults. She mates only once in her life and stores the sperm in a special organ until she needs it to lay eggs. She may lay as many as 2,000 eggs in a single day. A queen may live for three years. The queen can be recognized in the hive by her long narrow abdomen and short wings.

The queen leaves the hive only for her mating flight. However, if the hive becomes too crowded early in the season, she may leave and take half of the honeybees with her. This swarm then searches for a new home. A new pupa queen is left behind to make certain the old colony survives.

THE DRONES

The male occupants of the hive are larger than the workers and can be recognized by a large, round, dark abdomen. The drone does no work within the hive. His only responsibility is to mate with a virgin queen. Drones have no stinger. In the fall of the year, the workers force the drones out of the hive to lower the population and conserve food supplies for themselves and the queen.

THE WORKERS

Most of the honeybees in the hive are female workers. Although these are female honeybees, they are infertile so no threat is posed to the queen's position in the hive hierarchy. They are the smallest inhabitants in the hive. A worker honeybee has a long list of responsibilities and duties to perform which change as she matures during her short 35-45 day summer lifespan. (See Table 1)

Once the worker has emerged from her honeycomb cell she serves as a nurse bee. Nurses feed the brood (the baby larva), and clean brood cells in which the queen will lay eggs. During the following two weeks she serves as a house bee. House bees clean the comb, secrete wax to build cells, make honey, store pollen, feed and clean the queen and guard the hive against intruders. Once her work inside the hive is done, she graduates to her last job, field bee. Field bees collect the pollen, nectar, and water to feed the whole colony.

Workers live only for such a short period of time. They work so much in and out of the hive,  that they literally wear out their wings and cannot return to the hive.

TABLE ONE - AGE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WORKER HONEYBEES

Age (days) Responsibilities

1-2 Cleans cells and warms brood

3-5 Feeds older larvae

6-11

Feeds younger larvae

12-17

Hive repair, food transport within the hive, attend queen

18-21 Guard the hive entrance

22-45

Field bee collecting pollen, nectar and water

5. Lifecycle

Although the inhabitants of the hive have different duties and physical characteristics they all pass through the same stages of the lifecycle. The honeybee goes through complete metamorphosis.

Egg - In the egg stage, the genetic material of the queen and one of the many drones with whom she mated, are combined and develop into an embryo. The embryo will hatch into a larva, the second stage of the lifestyle.

Larva - This is also known as the grub period in the honeybee's life. The tiny white semi-circle develops and grows as it feeds on the food brought to it by the workers.

Pupa - After the larva has matured it enters the pupa stage. At this time the larva's cell is capped over to seal in the pupa. Inside this cell the larva undergoes a metamorphosis and changes from an opaque, white larva into a mature black and yellow adult honeybee. The new adult chews away the cell cap and emerges to take her place in the hive population.

TABLE TWO - LIFECYCLE OF THE HONEYBEE (DAYS)

Stage Egg Larva Pupa Total

Queen 3 5 1/2 7 1/2 16

Worker 3 6 12 21

Drone 3 6 1/2 14 1/2 24

6. Pollination

Honeybees need plants that produce flowers, and flowering plants need honeybees. The main value of honeybees to mankind, is in the cross-pollination of flowering plants and fruit blossoms. Most of our fruit and seed crops would not produce if it was not for the transfer of pollen from one blossom to another. About one-third of the total human diet is derived directly or indirectly from insect pollinated plants. An estimated 80 percent of insect crop pollination is accomplished by the honeybee. Honeybees are highly specialized vegetarians, eating only nectar and pollen which are produced by flowering plants.

When a honeybee lands on a flower to collect the nectar it gets covered with pollen. The dust-like pollen clings to the hairs on the honeybee's body. When the honeybee visits the next flower the pollen on its body brushes off against the female part (pistil) of that flower. When pollen is carried from one plant to another it is called cross-pollination.

Some plants have bright colored petals to attract honeybees, others produce scents to attract this pollinating insect. Plants which produce nectar secrete only small amounts at one time. This encourages many visits by many honeybees, which in turn increases the possibility that the plant will be successfully fertilized.

Many fruit tree farmers hire beekeepers to place hives of honeybees in their orchards during the blossoming season. They do this, to ensure that the flowers on their trees are pollinated properly, so that a healthy crop of fruit will be produced later in the growing season.

At the University of Guelph environmental biologists are experimenting with using honeybees to help control strawberry rot. A naturally occurring micro fungus will prevent the rot. A dispenser has been developed that fits on a beehive, so that emerging honeybees will inadvertently pick up and carry the spores of the biocontrol fungus. In the course of their flight the honeybees leave some of the spores on each flower, enough t prevent infection in the flower and fruit.

7. Honey and Pollen

The female worker bees venture out to hills and valleys foraging nectar and pollen to nourish the entire hive population.

Pollen provides the bees with an excellent source of protein and vitamins. This brightly coloured substance can be seen attached to the "pollen baskets" (area of long hairs on top of the hind legs) of the workers when they fly back to the hive.

Flower nectar plays an important part in the diet of the honeybee as it is their principal source of carbohydrates and energy. The worker consumes the nectar and stores it in her "honey sac" for transportation back to the hive. Enzymes in the honey sac help transform the nectar into honey after the worker has regurgitated it into waiting cells.

A honeybee colony does not work to provide their apiarist with honey as rent for their accommodations. The stores of honey they produce are intended to act as food supplies for the winter. For that reason, when apiarists remove a crop of honey they will leave enough for the bees to survive the winter.

8. Communication

In order for the hive to operate efficiently, honeybees have developed a complex form of communication, which we do not yet fully understand.

In order to direct other worker honeybees to a source of nectar or pollen a returning worker uses a "dance language" within the darkness of the hive. The necessary information is communicated to the other workers in this dance. This saves the other field workers time and energy so that they can fly directly to the food source. The honeybees use the sun as a type of compass to indicate direction. They can sense the direction of the sun even on hazy days.

Honeybees do two basic types of dances: the "round" and the "waggle". If the food is up to ten metres away, the worker will do the round dance. If the food is more than one hundred metres, the worker will do the waggle dance. Between ten and one hundred metres the worker does a combination of the two dances.

THE ROUND DANCE

The returning worker does her dance on the vertical surface of the honeycomb. If the nectar is less than 100 metres from the hive she moves in a circle in one direction. Then she turns around and runs in another circle in the other direction. They can buzz around near the hive and quickly find the flowers. They know what kind of flowers to look for by the smell clinging to the body of the returning bee, and by tasting a sample of the nectar she shares with them.

THE WAGGLE DANCE

If the nectar is more than 100 metres from the hive, the returning worker does the waggle dance. This gives the other workers the direction and distance (flying time) to the food source. First she dances in a straight line rapidly wagging her tail. Then she turns and walks around a half circle, and dances back along the same straight line. Then she turns in the other direction and walks around the other half of the circle, and returns once more to her straight line. As she does this she wags her tail. The number of times the dance is repeated per minute tells how far the food is from the hive. A fast dance means the food is close to the hive, a slow dance means it is further away.

The straight line of the dance shows the direction to the nectar in relation to the sun. On the vertical honeycomb, a dance done straight up means fly away from the sun. If the dancer moves on a line to the left of straight up, that means, "Go to the entrance of the hive, look at the sun, and fly to the left". When the nectar is all gone, the returning workers do not dance, so that no more workers will go to that location.

DANCE OF THE HONEYBEE

9. Gathering the Honey

In late summer the apiarist collects the honey supers from the hive leaving the brood chambers in place. It is the honey stored in this part of the hive that will see the colony through the winter.

The frames which are full of honey are removed from the supers only when the beekeeper is ready to work with them. First he must remove the top cap seals from the honeycomb using a hot uncapping knife. Once this is done, the frame is placed in an extracting machine, which forces the honey from the honeycomb by centrifugal force. The honey runs down the side of the extractor and out a hole in the front, at the bottom of the machine. Before the honey is put into jars it is strained to remove any foreign materials such as beeswax and other impurities from the extraction process. The colour of the honey depends on the type of nectar that was collected. Clover produces honey with the lightest colour and mildest flavour. Buckwheat honey is the darkest in colour and strongest tasting. Beeswax is produced by the workers to make the honeycomb within the hive. It is used for the brood chambers and the storing of the honey. We use this wax for many things such as makeup, cold creams, lipstick, shaving cream, shoe and furniture polishes, candles, chewing gum, crayons, and waterproofing, to name a few.

10. The Sting

Honeybees are bred to be very gentle and will only sting to defend themselves, or the colony. More people are stung by Wasps and Yellow Jackets than honeybees. If a honeybee lands on your arm, blow it off...don't hit it. The queen has a stinger which she only uses on other queens. Drones do not have stingers. A worker has a stinger which is barbed so that, once pushed into the vi victim, it cannot be pulled out. The whole stinger mechanism pulls out of the bee's body when she tries to withdraw it, so she dies shortly afterwards. The stinger and the venom pump are left behind and continue to inject poison into the victim. If you are stung by a honeybee, scrape the stinger away immediately with a fingernail. Do not try and pull the stinger out by squeezing it, as this will inject more of the venom into you.