The best way to reward yourself for your (and your precious bees) hard work is to put to good use the gorgeous honey they’ve been making all year long.

If you thought butter couldn’t get any better, just wait until you try this recipe. You’ll fall in love! You’ll put it on anything andeverything in your pantry.

Personally, I like salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter and add a little bit of sea salt to it, which is key to bringing out the flavors. Taste until its to your liking.

Make sure that the butter is soft, the beat with a mixer for one minute or until light and fluffy.

Then, mix in the honey until combined and transfer it to a jar or container.

This will keep covered in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

When serving, bring it to room temperature so it’s easier to spread. Feel free to drizzle a little extra on top.

The list below is our personal favorite foods to top with this delicious condiment:

• fresh bread
• toast
• biscuits
• cornbread
• rolls
• muffins
• pancakes
• French toast
• waffles
• sweet potatoes

Try it for yourself, and taste the difference!

The bee population is declining, and beekeepers need to conserve the remaining numbers and provide a right environment for repopulation.

However, they cannot do so without facing these common beekeeping challenges for which this article also suggests solutions:

Stings

Bees sense fear and focus their attack on the face, therefore, wear protective gear which comprises a bee suit, bee veil, and canvas gloves.

You should also avoid perfumes since it can attract the bees’ curiosity or irritate them.

Moreover, bees do not like dark clothing so you should wear tan or white clothing when going to visit your hives.

Remember to smoke them so that to make the docile and carry on your work with confidence. However, with time, they will sting you less when you get used to each other.

Insects

Mites weaken and kill hives, while wax moths destroy the brood comb. You should regularly maintain your hive so that you can control them.

Unhealthy Colony

Bees get sick too from a range of problems you may not understand if you are new to the practice but seeking help from experienced beekeepers will solve the problem.

Urban Area Resistance

Not everyone in your neighborhood loves bees, and they may try to scare them away.

Teach the neighbors how to respond to bees for safety purposes, or move to a rural location away from people.

Also, follow the proper regulations if living in a city, which requires a permit for beekeeping.

Lack of Persistence

Every endeavor requires persistence for it to succeed. Keeping bees is no different and even if you fail in the first few attempts, do not give up, maybe the next time you try will be the successful one.

Learn to Catch a Swarm

Bees move in swarms and if you want to split hives that is the best time to catch them since they are usually calm and less likely to sting.

Being around other beekeepers will help the bees to find a home thus increase your number of hives quickly.

Honey Collecting

Honey is healthy, but bees do not let you have it without putting up a fight. You must, therefore, learn how to collect it without upsetting the bees and have the energy to carry the honey boxes since depending on your hives; the honey collected can be in large volumes.

Beekeeping Equipment

Know how to use the equipment. As with every trade, beekeeping comes with its own set of tools; therefore, you should learn how to properly use the equipment which includes a smoker, hive tool and a bee brush among others.

Bee-Friendly Flowers

Bees make their honey from nectar, which they can only obtain from flowers.

You should, therefore, create a friendly environment for them by planting pollen-rich flowers and avoid using pesticides to have safe honey in the end.

Many people are embracing bee farming, and if one follows the above tips to overcome the setbacks, then bees will begin to increase their numbers, which will also be for our benefit.

There’s a fascination worth pursuing when it comes to bees.

They are an amazing, yet small, and very hardworking insect.

Are you dreaming of beekeeping?

There are beekeeping specific tools and equipment that will be necessary as you begin this journey.

Consider an apiary starter kit as you begin this captivating hobby.

A place where bees or a colony of bees is kept is called an apiary.

An apiary starter kit is a wise purchase as you begin with beekeeping.

Many times the starter kit will be cheaper, but the components may not be of the highest quality.

Components to Consider for Beekeeping

1. Hive System

This usually consists of hive boxes called supers or deeps.

There are various depths depending if they are for the workers or the queen bee.

Within this box there are hive frames, with 10 frames being standard. These hive frames will fill with honey.

If weight is a concern, you may use small or medium supers, which will weigh less than deep supers when filled with honey.

2. Personal Protective Equipment

Keeping a calm demeanor while around the bees is just as important as utilizing protective equipment.

It’s important to have leather beekeeping gloves. These will allow you to work with the bees, and if they attempt to sting you, the leather’s thickness will protect you from it. Ventilated gloves are recommended for warmer climates.

Another great choice for protection is the beekeeping jacket. This jacket has cuffed sleeves to keep bees out, is comfortable and allows movement. It should also have an attached hooded, veil to protect the face from the bees.

Many beekeepers prefer a full beekeeping suit, which covers you from head to ankle.

Things to consider when buying a beekeeping suit:

• Make sure the zippers are high quality – A broken zipper can result in getting stung.
• Pockets – Deep pockets are preferred, so everything doesn’t fall out when you bend over to work you hive.
• Veil – The veil should stay in place. You should not have to wear a hat to secure the veil.
• Neck collar – A collar inside the veil will prevent bee stings on you neck.

Protective clothing is important for your own safety and enjoyment and should not be overlooked.

3. Hive Tool

A must have tool for the beekeeper is a lifter and scraper tool This tool makes lifting out the frames and scraping the beeswax easier. They are a sturdy tool that resembles the letter j, and have a sharpened edge.

4. Bee Hive Smoker

Smokers are often used to calm the bees while working in the hive. Bees use pheromones to communicate. When they are alarmed they send hormones out to communicate with the others and soon the entire hive is angry and on alert.

With the use of a smoker, it masks the pheromones. The bees stay calm and you are able to go about your work in the hive.

It is often best to spend a little more and buy a decent hive smoker, as the cheap ones tend to warp from the heat.

5. Bees

A beehive wouldn’t be very useful without the bees. These can be purchased several ways.

One option is as packaged bees. They are mailed as worker bees with one queen. They are sold by the pound and are shipped in a small wood box.

A second option is to purchase a nuc bee colony. This is a nucleus colony from a nearby beekeeper. It consists of four or five frames with broods and bees and an actively laying queen.

All that is needed is to place the whole frames into your hive and you will have a head start to your new colony. This nuc colony usually adapts very well.

These five components will aid you on your journey into beekeeping. Once established, there are other items to consider.

Items such as a reference book, spacing tool, bee brush and a queen-excluder are all useful, but not necessary to get started.

An apiary starter kit that includes the above items will have you beekeeping in just a short time.

Honey has natural enzymes and nutrients, which are of medical and health benefits. It has thus been used as a remedy for years.

Honey still holds on its popularity gaining usefulness in hospitals as its used to treat wounds. All these advantages are however scaled down to unpasteurized honey.

Honey found in grocery stores is processed by the manufactures. This helps to remove unwanted crystals and improve the texture and color. Bacteria’s and beneficial antioxidants are also removed.

If you must go for raw honey, purchase it from a known producer.

Below are more uses of raw honey:

Reliable Source of Antioxidants

Raw honey has antioxidants known as phenolic compounds. Other types have as many antioxidants as those in vegetables and fruits.

Antioxidants are helpful in protecting one’s body from cell damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are responsible for heart disease, cancer, and aging.

Polyphenols in honey have been known to prevent heart diseases.

Antifungal and Antibacterial Properties

With raw honey containing hydrogen peroxide, which is an antiseptic, it kills fungus and bacteria’s.

Manuka honey has been used by European hospitals in the fight against bacterial infection (MRSA) resistant to antibiotics.

The type of honey dictates the effectiveness of the antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Heal Wounds

Manuka raw honey which has natural hydrogen peroxide is a germ killer effective in treating wounds. The honey reduces healing time and infections.

The honey used in the medical setup is, however, a medical grade.

Contains Phytonutrients

These are nutrients that protect the plant from damage.

They help the plant from their enemies and UV radiations that are harmful. Phytonutrients provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which keep you in perfect health.

Honey has been a product of plants thus contains these nutrients.

Helps in Digestion

Raw honey has been known to treat diarrhea though the research is still not authenticated. Helicobacter pylori are also treated with ram, honey.

Take 1-2 teaspoons of raw honey on an empty stomach to relieve stomach pains and induce healing.

Soothe a Sore Throat

Raw honey serves to reduce sore throats. Add a teaspoonful of raw honey to your hot tea with lemon to suppress coughs and soothe sore throats.

Raw honey just as dextromethorphan suppresses coughs by taking one or two teaspoons.

Is it risky?

Harmful bacteria such as botulism may be present in honey. This is risky for children under the age of one year.

Botulism is known for causing food poisoning of fever, nausea, and vomiting in adults. Consult your physician if you take raw honey and get persistent symptoms.

Honey is an ultimate solution to a cough or a sore throat.

It is in Cairo at 2400 B.C that first beekeeping can be traced. Many cultures including the Chinese, Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks have used honey as food and medicine for long.

Honey is mostly used as a sweetener. Its composed of 70-80% sugar with the rest been proteins, minerals, and water. However, honey has many unrealized benefits which include:

Burns

Mayo clinic reveals that honey is a good cure for burns. It helps heal burns within a very short time. Unlike other treatment options like the use of silver sulfadiazine, honey is known for sterilizing wounds in a shorter duration and enhancing healing.

Memory

Menopausal and postmenopausal women recorded improved memory after using honey. Women taking honey to surpass memory increment against women who use progestin and estrogen hormone therapies.

Herpes

According to a research done in Dubai, honey is effective in the treatment of genital and oral herpes. Honey serves the purpose of healing lesions just as ointments in the chemists and has the pus of reducing discomfort.

Diabetes

With honey having a lower glycemic index as compared to sugar, the blood level in your blood won’t go high once you use it. You can also use fewer sweeteners in food once you use honey as its sweet enough. Using honey instead of sugars will keep your blood sugar level balanced.

Cancer

Due to its antioxidant properties, the big question has been the ability of honey to treat and prevent cancer. A study done in Iran in 2011 raised concern over how honey can halt the multiplication of cancer cells hence intensifying the research on its usefulness.

Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are characterized by blood in the stool, pain, and itching of the anus. Honey is an appropriate remedy and more so a mixture of bee wax and olive oil.

Wounds 

For centuries, honey has dressed wounds. Mayo Clinic suggests that honey heals wounds, reduce pain, treat wounds after surgery, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Honey be superior to other dressing agents though the wounds will dictate.

Fertility

Honey has been known to boosts fertility to men and women. Through research was done in 2013 in Nigeria, giving honey to mice increased their sperm count though an excess of it was still harmful

Psoriasis

This skin condition is characterized by itching, redness, lesions, and blisters. Though treatment with Vitamin D and corticosteroids creams work, honey is more effective. Using a mixture of honey, beeswax and olive oil is an ultimate solution to itching, scaling, and redness.

Varroa Mite Control – Dealing with Varroa mites at some stage becomes unavoidable if you are considering being a beekeeper or are one already.

Varroa mites also called Varroa destructors owe their origin to the United States where they first showed up in the western honey bees, biological named Apis mellifera, in the late 1980s.

Varroa mites are invasive and relatively harmless since the eastern honey bees, biological named Apis cerana, evolved so Varroa mites can be better handled through improved grooming practices.

The species Varroa mites are parasitic in nature and can easily damage any hive in more than one way.

In the United States, Varroa mites are famous for eradicating many feral bee colonies and have become a big problem form beekeepers who keep hives.

Their working model is very simple. A Varroa mite first latches on to a bee, then feeds on its blood like a parasite and transmits viruses through the blood. When it leaves the bee’s body, it leaves open wounds on the bee and moves to find more bees to feed upon.

Many a time, as a beekeeper you may not be aware whether your hives have a Varroa mite problem or not.

It is safe to say that most hives have at least some Verroa mites living in them. As such they do not cause a threat until their population is below a certain number. This safe population level is called the action or the economic threshold.

One of the ways you can reduce the population of Verroa mites in your hives is through sugar dusting. This process makes the surface dusty temporarily, which makes it difficult for the mites’ feet to move.

In an attempt to clean them of the dust, some mites dislodge themselves and fall loose.

This eventually helps them to fall into a trap that you have set for them to successfully remove them from your hive and never damage it again.

Sugar dusting is a very simple yet effective method. All you need to do is fill a baby powder bottle with powdered sugar and dust both sides of your hive’s frame fully.

Using this method, Verroa mites are not killed fully but when this method is used in combination with others such as drone foundation, it is found to drastically decrease the population of Verroa mites in your hive.

However, prevention is always better than cure. As a beekeeper, your aim should always be to be vigilant and perform regular hive inspections to look for potential Verroa mites’ threats.

• Has anything changed since the last inspection?
• Are the bees more active now?
• Is there still a queen in your hive?
• How does your hive smell?

Answers to all these questions will prevent your hive from a possible attack from Verroa mites.

Bee researchers have also found out that bees from certain hives are hygienic and better in cleaning dead cells from the hive.

When buying queens for your hive, always look for the hygienic queens that have been selectively bred from good hives to exhibit hygienic behaviors.

In natural comb building, bees build for the immediate present, with no evidence of a plan for the needs of the future.

When comb building begins, worker cells are built so long as the queen continues promptly to lay eggs in the new cells.

When first built, combs are light yellow or almost white in color, but after brood is reared in the cells the comb is darkened by the “cocoons” left by the brood.

The color varies with the sources of honey and pollen at the time the comb is being built.

It is also known that waxes vary similarly in certain physical properties.

These so-called cocoons consist of larval skins and excreta, with the possible addition of a portion of the delicate silken cocoon.

These deposits increase with successive rearings of brood until the bases of the cells are appreciably thickened while the outer parts of the side walls remain practically unmodified in size.

If an old comb is soaked in water the layers of deposits may be readily separated.

The combs are also darkened by deposits of propolis on the cappings of honey cells and the tops of combs are often strengthened by deposits of this substance, especially when the combs are attached to rough wood, as in a hollow log.

Excerpted and edited from:

Beekeeping; a discussion of the life of the honeybee … 1915. Phillips, Everett Franklin, 1878-1951.

Amid the wide range of honey products, you should try the Eucalyptus honey.

What makes this product stand out apart from the distinctive taste and scent is its host of health benefits.

The Eucalyptus tree is also known as a blue gum tree, stringy bark tree and fever tree bears the botanical name globally.

The Eucalyptus honey has health benefits such as antiseptic, stimulating, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, deodorant, antispasmodic and as a decongestant.

Apart from being the best natural remedy for respiratory issues, it is also an antiseptic due to its germicidal properties.

The ozone formed after its exposure to the air is the one known as antiseptic. Eucalyptus honey can as well be used to heal burns, ulcers, sores, abrasions, cuts and wounds.

Also ideal for insect bites, and is normally suggested for patients suffering from stiff muscles, aches, tendons, fibrosis, nerve pain, lumbago, sprained ligaments and rheumatism.

It is done by massaging the skin in spherical movement to help ease the muscle joint and pains.

Bees are considered to be among the most hardworking insects in the world. They play a great role in our ecosystem besides pollinating and making honey.

There are more than 20,000 known species of bees in 7 recognized families in every continent except Antarctica. Extreme cold climate is the main reason why there are no bees in Antarctica.

If we are to understand the importance of keeping bees, we need to educate ourselves and others about bees to protect them and their ecological niches.

There is a famous quote from Albert Einstein which states that, ‘if bees disappeared from the face of earth, man would only have to live for 4 years’. This might be true because all bees are pollinators of crops. In fact, about 84% of crops grown for human consumption rely on bees and a few other insects to pollinate them.

Pollination of crops increases yields and quality through cross pollination which facilitates exchange of genes. When plants from the same species are cross pollinated, they mix traits bringing about variations which help in better sustainability and viability of the species.

Bees are also known to make honey which has numerous benefits to man. Honey is mainly made from nectar collected from different species of plants. People have started keeping bees in beehives (apiculture), providing them with water and planting flowers around the hives to determine the type of nectar these bees collect to make their honey.

This has been a source of income to a lot of people who have kept bees specifically to produce honey. Honey is in high demand nowadays due to its numerous benefits making bee keeping a reliable source of income.

Royal Jelly Health Benefits include the ability to lower blood pressure, prevent some types of cancer, protect your liver, reduce cholesterol levels, relieve sexual fertility, and help in weight loss efforts.

It increases blood circulation, prevents early aging, reduces inflammation and heals digestive disorders in the body.

You may know bees produce honey; however, what most people may not be aware of is that this insect produces another fantastic and beneficial type of food, which is the Royal Jelly. It’s excreted from the top of the bee head and is then collected in a queen cell that is a unique honeycomb.

Royal Jelly Health Benefits

This jelly has many benefits to your body. They include:

Regulating Blood Pressure

According to studies, royal jelly contains some proteins which have a direct impact on humans’ blood pressure levels, for example, the protein, hydrolysate.

This protein has a long-lasting effect on blood pressure. When it’s combined with the potassium present in it, it acts as a validator. It means that it reduces stress on the heart and blood vessels.

The result is that royal jelly is becoming one of the best ways to prevent or minimize heart conditions.

Balances the Body’s Cholesterol Levels

Many individuals link delicious sweet foods with unhealthy cholesterol, which is not the case with royal jelly.

Research has shown that by adding it to your diet, your bad cholesterol levels can drop. It means that royal jelly helps you to prevent cardiovascular and atherosclerosis issues such as strokes and heart attacks.

Treatment of Infertility Issues

Although how royal jelly performs its functions is unclear, some experts suspect that its link to human fertility is connected to royalactin. It’s the protein that affects the queen bee’s morphology, which enables her to become sexually viable. Whatever the cause, this jelly increases sperm motility in men, which improves their fertility. It means that it enhances the chances of their partners becoming pregnant.

Prevents Cancer

Royal jelly contains some antioxidants; however, it has been shown to have the ability to inhibit bisphenol A, also referred to as BPA. It’s an environmental estrogen, which studies have linked to the increase in levels of breast cancer.

By adding royal jelly to your diet, you may reduce chances of getting this cancer.

Reduces Inflammation

Royal jelly contains an impressive amount of active enzymes and vitamins, which makes it a possible anti-inflammatory agent. However, excessive heat may reduce these enzymatic properties, which means that you can’t ingest this jelly to get these benefits.

The best way is to apply it topically on the affected areas of the body, which will relieve the inflammation pain.

Prevents Early Aging

Remember that royal jelly increases the queen’s lifespan in a significant way. It contains some antioxidants, which reduces the number of free radicals that are the cause of early aging.

The antioxidant reduces wrinkles, makes your skin look healthy and prevents hair loss. Another of their function is preventing hair loss and macular degeneration. The result is that they extend your life and stop some types of chronic illnesses.

Weight Loss

One of the components of royal jelly is Lecithin, which helps to lower cholesterol, improve your liver function and ensure healthy digestion levels.

These factors assist you in the weight loss efforts. When combined with increased metabolism, which is another royal jelly health benefits and the protein content present in this nutrient supplement, what you get is the best weight loss booster!

Improves Metabolism

Royal jelly contains all the eight necessary amino acids which humans can’t produce by themselves. It’s an important food source for your body.

The eight amino acids are hard to get, but are needed for the formation of new proteins in your body and ensuring metabolism runs appropriately.

Royal jelly can, in fact, enhance cellular regeneration, increase bone strength, boost muscle growth and development and enhance the hormonal/enzymatic processes in our bodies. It results in several health benefits to our bodies.

You may be allergic to bee pollen, honey or royal jelly. This allergic reaction may be severe, and can even result in anaphylaxis. It means that you should consult your allergist or doctor before adding it to your diet.