Observation Hive

Honey
Nectar Plants
Composition
How To Store
How Bees Make Honey
The Harvest
Extracting
CooKing
Medicinal
Beauty

Beekeeping
History
Art Of Beekeeping
Equipment
Apiary
Stings
Predators
Spring Care
Winterig Bees
Feeding Bees
Products Of The Hive
Swarms
Managing Colonies
Bee Mite

Honey Bees
Social Insect
Queen
Worker
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Virgin
Stings
Products of the Hive

Legal Stuff

Medicinal


Honey
Ancient cultures knew honey could help wounds heal faster, and now scientist believe it can kill superbugs that resist antibiotics.
Peter Molan of the university of Waikato in New Zealand,presented his teams findings that honey is deadly to some of the most worrisome bacteria on the planet-including haemolytic streptococci, which causes flesh-eating disease, and "superbugs including multiple-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Molan stresses some types of honey are much more potent than others. Jelly Bush and Manuka honey from Australia and New Zealand are the most potent so far.
quotes from Honey spreads healing hope by Margaret Munro in Vancouver

Pollen
Pollen is the rich male germ cell of plants.Honey bees pack pollen grains onto their legs (corbiculae) in pollen pellets for transport back to the colony.
Composition:
Pollen is rich in protien & lipids. Other components are amino acids carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and pigments.
Uses:
Used as a food suppement and a desensitization treatment for allergy sufferers.

Royal Jelly
Royal Jelly is produced by young workers. It is creamy white, acidic high in nitrogen slightly pungent, and bitter to taste.Used primarily as the sole source of norishment for the queen bee.In the larva stage there's no difference between the queen bee and a worker bee.Being fed royal jelly makes her develop into the queen.
Composition:
Moisture: 66%
Protein: 12%
Lipids: 6%
Reducing substance:12%
Minerals: 1%
Unknown: 3%
Vitamins: B,C,&D
Additional: 10-hydroxydecanoic acid(acts as an anti biotic preventing royal jelly from spoiling.
Uses:
Long collected in the Orient for medicinal purposes.
Uses in cosmetics, lotions and dietary supplements.

Propolis
Propolis is a sticky, resinous substance that is collected by workers honey bees from the buds of trees such as elder, poplar or from bark of trees in conifers.Propolis is collected on the legs ((corbiculae) of worker bee for transport back to the hive. The colour of propolis varies from brownish green to brownish-red. It is used be bees as a building material to glue frames together or fill in holes.
Composition:
Waxes: 30%
Resins and balsams: 55%
Ethereal oils: 10%
Pollen: 5%
Characteristics:
In warm weather , propolis is soft and sticky but in cooler temperatures it becomes hard and brittle.It has antibacterial properties against various bacteria and fungi.
Uses It has been used for treating burns, external ulcers and exzema.

Venom
Bee venom is stored in the poison sac at the base of the sting.
Composition:
Bee venom is chemicalley complex.It contains histamine,dopamine,melittin, apamine, mast cell destoying peptides, minimine, and the enzymes phopholipase A and hyaluronidase. It is a clear liquid with a sharp bitter taste,and a aromatic odour.
Uses:
Small amounts of bee venom are currently collected for use in desensitizing those allergic to be stings and in rhumatoid arthritis research and treatment (apitherapy).

quotes from Ontario Bee Manual