Month: September 2020

Bees and Mead

Bees and Mead

You can now get a taste of what the ancient gods and kings drank. Mead, commonly known as “honey wine,” is an alcoholic drink made with honey, wine, and yeast (for fermentation). Similar to beer, it can be flavored with fruits, spices, and grains, but it isn’t quite beer and is stronger than beer, ranging…
Read more

Beeswax Wraps title with description how did they become so popular and what you need to know when selling them below it. Background has pictures of beehives flowers and bees.

Beeswax Wraps: How Did They Become So Popular? And What You Need to Know When Selling Them

We’ve learned that we use a variety of products that come from bees—from honey to propolis to beeswax products. There is an infinite number of ways to incorporate bee products into daily life…and one of those ways is by using beeswax wraps! What are beeswax wraps? Beeswax wraps are wraps used in the kitchen to…
Read more

Bee Products in your Home title with honey comb print on bottom and bee flying

Honey, I’m Home: All the Bee Products in Your Household

The fruits and vegetables we eat to sustain our health are all made possible by the pollination of bees. However, bees’ impact goes far beyond the food we eat—perhaps the most well-known product in our household, honey, is a byproduct of bees. In addition to honey, products made from beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, pollen, and…
Read more

do other types of bees get mites too title with sky as the background and grass on bottom of image with bug crawling on the left

Do Other Types of Bees Get Mites, Too?

It is well known that Varroa destructor mites are one of the honeybee’s (Apis mellifera) worst enemies. Since Western honey bees do not possess the defense mechanisms to fend off non-native parasites, the mites can transmit deadly viruses to the bees. Seeing that Varroa mites have such a damaging effect on honey bees, numerous articles…
Read more

Honey Label Requirements

Sticking to the Standards: Federal Honey Labeling Requirements

Before you start selling your honey, you need to make sure that it complies with federal, state, and local regulations. There are federal labeling standards that your honey should adhere to. Common Name First, the “common” name of the product should be visible on the label—in this case, “honey” should be clearly visible. If the…
Read more

what and when bees pollinate title with sunflowers on right side of image and bee on top of one

Your Food Wouldn’t Bee Here Without Them: What and When Bees Pollinate

Without bees, we would not have many of the vegetables and fruits we eat every day. Pollinators such as bees, birds, bats, beetles, and other small insects pollinate over 1,200 crops. Between $235 and $577 billion of annual global food production depends on the direct contributions of pollinators, and almost one out of every three…
Read more