Bees and honey
Taming of wild bees
It started with our ancestors taking honey from wild bee colonies that had settled in hollow trees out in the forest. Eventually, one "tamed" the bees and smoked them in hives, bred good strains and gained knowledge about these interesting insects.
The cubes are assembled from several parts
The hive is assembled from several loose parts, so that the smoker has to get to it and do its job. At the bottom is the bottom tray. It has a narrow entrance slot for the bees. On top is the box with the wax boards. The bees themselves build this structure with the hexagonal chambers which they fill with pollen and honey. The smoker often has to put up several boxes throughout the summer so that there is enough space for the bees and enough storage space for the honey. On top, put something that insulates and finally a roof that keeps the cube dry.
The bee community
In each cube there is only one queen. She lays eggs that develop into larvae and pupae. In the small, well-organized society we also find the other bees. Everyone has their tasks; the drones that mate with the queen. The guard bees protect the community and the worker bees look after the hive and fly out and collect pollen and nectar.
The honey is created
Deep inside the flower is a small drop of nectar that the plant secretes. The visiting bee swallows this drop into its honeycomb. To fill this, the bee must visit up to a hundred flowers before returning to the hive. On a good day, a bee can make up to fifteen trips. When we calculate that a hive can have around twenty thousand bees gathering nectar, a bee colony can cover thirty million flowers in one day
When the bee returns to the hive, she swallows the nectar she has collected. Then he is already in the process of being transformed into honey. Down the bicelles the ripening continued and more and more of the water evaporates. The bees also collect pollen on their trips, with the help of curved hairs on their hind legs. They hold on to the pollen grains. Along with honey, pollen is food for the bee community, and is stored in its own cells. When the smoker takes away the honey in the autumn, he must therefore replace it with sugar solution so that the bees have food throughout the winter.
The bees communicate among themselves about good places to collect food, perhaps by giving taste samples to the other bees in the hive and performing a dance that says something about the direction and distance to the flowers the bee will recommend. The bees use sight, smell and taste to find good areas and plants to suck nectar from.
Equipment
The beekeeper must dress properly. To avoid being stung by the bees, the smoker wears a tight bee suit. A hat with a side veil is used on the head. Gloves and boots protect the rest of the body. To calm down the bees when working with a cube, use smoke from a smoke blower
Honey as medicine
Honey and other bee products have been used as medicine at all times. Feel free to read more about this on the pages of Norway's Beekeeping Association .