Care2, 12/8/2014
I wasn’t always a honeybee lover. But, after directing the
documentary film Vanishing of the Bees, narrated by Oscar-nominated actress
Ellen Page, I became an advocate for countless reasons. This fuzzy insect is
one of endless surprise and delight.
For starters, honeybees are a female society, 95 percent of
the hive are made up female workers, sisters to each other, and daughters of
the Queen. They are considered to be ancient messengers as well as teachers
when it comes to things such as cooperation, industriousness and adaptability.
They are selfless and work together with swarm intelligence
for the greater good of the hive. They do amazing things like beat their wings
at 250 times a second, twisting them for maximum lift.
And yet honeybees, who also pollinate one out of three every
bites of the food we eat (everything from avocados to zucchinis), are
disappearing all over the world, thanks in large part to nicotine-based
pesticides called neonicotinoids. This past year marks the highest losses of
honeybee populations in the country.
At very low doses, these systemic pesticides negatively
impact the immune system of the bee, interfere with their nervous systems and
impact their navigational capabilities, causing tremors, paralysis and
eventually death. These pesticides, which were first registered for use in the
mid-1990s, are also poisoning our food supply, negatively impacting other
pollinators, and have now made their way into American rivers. They also impair
developing (human) brains.
Unfortunately, pesticides are still being used in the U.S.,
even though the European Commission recently proposed a two-year ban on three
of these systemic insecticides to give researchers time to determine the actual
effects. This is called the Precautionary Principle. In the U.S., we just pump
pesticides out into the environment and blindly trust the studies that have
been conducted by the actual makers of these poisons. That’s right, the
Environmental Protection Agency does not do any independent research.
With that said, I do believe that progress is being made and
that the honeybee is on the forefront of our consciousness more than ever
before. It is up to us to continue to spread the buzz about bees.
Michael Pollan says, “vote with your fork.” We cannot afford
to lose these sacred creatures. They are the reason why we have nutritious food
to eat, and, to top it all off, so many substances they create are medicinal
and magical.
Here are five reasons why bee goods revitalize your health.
1. Raw Honey: Nectar of the Gods
In her six-week life span, a honeybee will only produce a
quarter of a teaspoon of honey. Think of the cooperation that is required to
accomplish this the next time you come across a jar of honey. The ancient
Greeks referred to honey as the “nectar of the gods” and the benefits of raw
honey are numerous. Honeybees from a typical hive visit approximately 225,000
flowers per day.
Honey, which is literally bee vomit, is both antibacterial
and antifungal – so much so that it’s the only food that never spoils. This
liquid gold is so potent that it’s been shown to even kill the deadly bacteria
MSRA! Honey is also loaded with minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants. Honey can
be used against coughs, to treat burns, to build up your immune system, as
wound dressing and even as a face mask…
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