Bee bounty

Honey Prized universally as a sweetener since the dawn of civilisation, honey lasts pretty much indefinitely despite a suggested ‘best before’ of about three years. Other uses include as a soothing, healing balm thanks to its natural antiseptic properties. Eating a spoonful of local honey every day is believed (but not proven) to help alleviate the symptoms of hayfever. It can also be used to make mead, an alcoholic drink produced since ancient times throughout Europe, Africa and Asia.

Pollen Honeybees have extensive pollen stores within the hive that sit alongside honey stores as a broad-range food source for the colony. Pollen granules can be harvested and used as a dietary supplement, sprinkled on food or in smoothies. Health benefits reputedly hinge around the breadth of nutrients, but the complexity of ingredients in any given sample can also potentially lead to allergic reactions and even anaphylaxis in extreme cases.

Beeswax Fragrant and soft, the warm yellow hue and steady aromatic burn of beeswax have made it a popular substance from which to make candles since prehistoric times. Beeswax is also widely used in both natural and more mainstream cosmetics for its ability to smooth and moisturise skin. It’s also still the treatment of choice for wooden furniture, as well as being a widespread method of waterproofing leather footwear and cotton-duck fabric clothing and bags. It’s even used to preserve food, such as cheeses.

Propolis One great mystery of the beehive is propolis. This sticky and aromatic resin is a mixture of saliva, beeswax and botanical substances from a variety of sources (there have been stories of bees stripping freshly tar-treated fence panels). Bees use it to fill holes, make repairs, even embalm unlucky animals not successfully ejected from the hive. It’s an all-purpose ‘bee-glue’. Thought to have anti-fungal properties, alternative healthcare benefits are claimed, but unproven.