Honey and What-Nots

While in the hives, bees are busy producing what they need for survival:

• Wax – useful for building comb so the Queen can lay eggs and so the worker bees can store resources like pollen and nectar.
• Pollen – while bees do not make pollen, they collect it. Worker bees leave the hive to find pollen. In our area of the NRV, bees collect pollen from red maple, dandelions, clover, goldenrod, sunflowers, blackberries, lavender, and many more trees, shrubs and flowers.
• Nectar – worker bees collect nectar from flowers and store it in their “honey stomach.” This process breaks down the sugars in the nectar to help in the process of honeymaking. Nectar is about 80% water. Bees use their wings and movement around the hive to dehydrate the nectar. Honey is best at 18% water, as this makes it more stable and helps prevent fermentation.

Bees are extremely useful to humans. As pollinators, they help flowering plants thrive and assist in the formation of fruits and seeds for plants to reproduce.

Honey is a natural sweetener and when properly contained, can last many years. The oldest honey ever found is estimated to be around 2,500 years old. It was found in an underground shrine in Italy.

Beeswax is used to make candles, cosmetics, and can be used for polishing wood.

Propolis is a resin-like substance that bees use to seal cracks in the hive, which helps with temperature regulation. Propolis has antibacterial and antifungal properties which help with keeping a hygienic environment for the bees. Humans have used a tincture containing propolis with the belief that it helps with infection and inflammation.

Lil Stingers strives to honor the byproducts of the beehive. Wax cappings are collected during the process of harvesting honey. Wax can be given back to the hive – bees will collect wax to use in the comb making process.

The comb is often used over and over and after a while will turn brown from the leftover brood (baby bee) material (debris, fecal matter). This comb can be scraped from the foundation, melted, and strained (sometimes several times) to be used for products such as our Honey & Oatmeal soaps, Lotion Bars, and Lip Balms.