Would you look at the time! It's already World Bee Day, perhaps our favorite insect themed holiday. Bees are essential for the ongoing pollination of Earth, the production of nutrient rich honey, and even help reduce the effects of climate change!
Because bees are so important to the growth of countless flora, they contribute enormously to human food production, alleviating famine and benefit sustainable agriculture all around the world. Honey bees alone pollinate up to eighty percent of all flowering plants, including more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, bees provide jobs for many commercial beekeepers, farmers, food processors, florists—the list goes on. The are over 95 million bee hives around the world today!
However it's not all sunshine and roses for bees. Bee populations in every part of the world are in decline, and worse yet, scientists don't exactly understand why. Many factors contribute to the slow extinction of bees, from human expansion to technology to pollution and more. Without the work of bees, the Earth would endure a dramatic change, and humans would see stark changes in the ways we produce, process, and consume many different foods and medicines. In fact, bees are not the only insects facing existential jeopardy, but all pollinators of plants, including butterflies, hummingbirds, beetles, and bats.
Apitherapyis the practice of utilizing bee byproducts for the treatment of ailments and illnesses. Many products derived from bees are sold throughout the world as medicine, including numerous items offered at Finlandia. Bees' metabolic production of honey is a fascinating and ancient process, and much more honey is produced in commercial hives than by native (wild) bees.
Bee Pollenis one such commercially through a variety of retailers. Advocates of this medicine claim that it can treat several afflictions including alcoholism, asthma, and allergies.
Propolisis another popular apitherapeutic product touted by many to alleviate cold sores, canker sores, and herpes. Like many organic supplements, scientists are reluctant to validate this treatment despite thousands of years of civilized application.
Perhaps most interesting of all is Royal Jelly, found in copious medicinal formulae, this nutrient-rich food is provided by worker nurse bees to larvae in their developmental stage. Amazingly, queens are grown by continuously feeding immature bees more and more Royal Jelly until they develop into the reproductive epicenters of their hive.
Incredible, right‽ Not to be underestimated, bees provide more for us than we might expect.
And so the next time you find yourself traversing a field or crossing the garden, be sure to stop and give thanks to the world's most dutiful farmers—and not just on World Bee Day, but all days.
Finlandia is giving away a charming, handcrafted bee houseto one lucky winner, sponsored by Wedderspoon! To enter for your chance to win, simply visit our store or click here!
