The History of National Honey Bee Day National Honey Bee Day is a holiday that many individuals may not be aware of that has a huge impact on the beekeeping community. This national awareness day, started in 2009, began as a grassroots movement to build active community awareness around the beekeeping industry through promotion and…
How Honey and Other Bee Products are Used in Cosmetics Some cosmetic manufacturers have created products that use honey. In recent years, these companies have expanded to using other bee products in their offerings including royal jelly, bee pollen, and even bee venom. While many consumers are already buying raw Manuka honey that contains royal…
What is Colony Collapse Disorder? Honeybees are an important link in both United States and worldwide agriculture. In recent years, honeybees have been under enormous pressure from a mystery disease known as Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. This condition is defined by a dead colony of bees that have no adult bees and/or a colony…
How Our Brains are Similar to the Honeybee In many respects, the honeybee’s brain is not as cognitively advances as humans but at the same time, humans and honeybees have a number of things in common. For example, human brains contain tens of billions of neurons that send signals throughout the body, while honey bees…
How Honey is Used to Make Mead Centuries ago, mead was the drink of choice – ancient Greeks, Chinese, Danish warriors, and Egyptians enjoyed this alcoholic beverage. The origin of mead is still unknown, but the manner in which it was made is still in practice today. Honey is the main ingredient in all mead…
Uses for Beeswax You May Not Know About Beeswax is a common substance that is used in candles and cosmetics – this wax is secreted by bees and used to divide their hive into cells. Although we are well aware of some of the uses of beeswax, there are a number of other ways it…
Using Honey and Other Common Ingredients for Your At-Home Spa Day Old Man Winter has finally loosened his grip and spring is right around the corner. With warmer weather on the horizon, many of us are getting our skin ready for tank tops and shorts. One thing many people enjoy doing when the seasons change…
Most of us are familiar with the bees but may not know the different roles the bee serves within the bee colony. A bee colony is a very complex, organized community with every bee having a specific job. There is also somewhat of a hierarchy within the hive, which can come into play when supplies…
All things considered, beekeeping is considered a relatively small industry in the United States. Last year (2014), it is estimated the industry generated over $325 million in revenue. I already know what you are thinking…how do I get a small business like that? However, like many smaller niches, beekeeping affects many other industries, most notably,…
Everyone likes cookies, right? But, if you are going to eat cookies, we want you to eat cookies that are relatively healthy. This almond butter cookies recipe will create a tasty treat that has less than 100 calories and a mere five grams of fat. While most recipes will contain a LOT of butter, we…
How many times have you come home from your favorite restaurant to an “uncomfortable” feeling? You are not alone, as many of us simply cannot help ourselves when we are out to eat. The same can be said of family BBQs and holiday dinners. All that food, so little time, a deadly combination leading to…
For many people, the ingredients in soap are the furthest thing from their mind when they are at the local store or online. Many of us simply grab whatever is on sale or choose from a few “familiar” products and look for the lowest price amongst them. It’s soap, after all, and all it needs…
We all know about Winnie the Pooh’s affection for honey. Whenever Pooh saw honey, he was like a 2-year old with ADD, ohhh, shiny! He didn’t care if he got stung, chased, it just didn’t matter because he wanted some of that tasty honey! The question, though, is do real bears go just as crazy…
You don’t have to be religious to enjoy a traditional Easter dinner. While the holiday has its obvious religious roots, the holiday has evolved into a true family event. For those that are religious, the day has some truly incredible meanings. For those that are not religious, it is still a day to spend with…
You know we love honey. We try to put it in just about everything we can. Now, while we of course think it goes with everything, there are some recipes types that are definitely better than others when it comes to this sweet treat. Sauces and Dressings – If there is one area where honey…
With all the benefits of Manuka honey, it only makes sense that there are also benefits from the tree from which the bees extract the nectar that eventually becomes Manuka honey. Like the honey, the oil extracted from this tree offers plenty of benefits. Let’s take a quick look at them as well as some…
Curiosity got the best of you, didn’t it? You just have to know why you should be dipping your toes into honey! You have bad feet, but for some reason you just “deal” with it. Who has the time to treat their feet well, right? After all, it is not as if we stand and/or…
Have you ever heard of the Oprah effect? It is what happens to something the moment Oprah approves of it. For years, any product or book mentioned on the Oprah Show in a positive light just flew off the shelves. If she mentioned a small business, it would have record sales. Well, Dr. Oz was…
With the popularity of Manuka honey, it is no wonder more and more companies are offering imitation (this is our way of saying fraudulent nicely) products so they can capitalize on it. The topic of the legitimacy of many products has been under investigation for some time, but Manuka honey producers are now taking a…
When you think about it, the process of making honey is truly incredible. The fact that these tiny insects are responsible for making this delicious food (by the way, it is the only food product creatied by insects that humans eat) is amazing. Are there synthetic products that can imitate the flavor of honey? Sure,…
With this recipe, we were trying to find a nice morning treat that incorporated some fresh ingredients offering health benefits. Now, when you are in a pinch for breakfast, you have an excuse to eat a muffin! Before your significant other gives you the business about your menu choice, we are going to arm you…
Long before we had medicine, foods and plants were used to treat conditions in both humans and animals. Oddly enough, using “natural” items to treat the same conditions today is often called holistic or alternative healing. One such food product that falls into this category is honey. Both in “olden” times and currently, honey plays…
I don’t know about you, but the first time I heard bee venom could be good for me I let out a very loud and emphatic, “WHAT?” You mean to tell me that bee sting I have been avoiding all these years could actually do me some good? Amazingly, there are some alternative medicinal purposes…
Bar Trivia is becoming more and more popular throughout the United States. While there has always been some fascination with trivia, the game of Trivial Pursuit put it in the limelight and before long, local tap rooms were devoting full evenings to testing the random knowledge of patrons. You just never know when honey will…
Remember when you were a kid and had a cold and mom told you needed some chicken soup? Whether mom knew it or not, she was actually right; chicken soup is in fact good for a cold. According to an article published on ABCNews.com by Melissa Schorr, Dr. Stephen Rennard (University of Nebraska Medical Center…
March is here and that means it is only a matter of time before we start to see some warmer weather. For many of us, this means it is time to pull the cover off the grill and have our first BBQ of the season. After such a hard winter, it is understandable that many…
