Real Food Miscellany:

• The Mesozoic Era, approximately 100,000,000 years ago, brought flowers and bees first appeared among the insects.
• The earliest known record of honey collecting is from a 7,000 BC cave painting in Spain.
• Hives were placed on rafts in Egypt and floated down the Nile for pollination purposes as well as honey production.
• Honey was used in the embalming process for pharaohs.
• The Greek god of beekeeping was Aristaeus.
• One tablespoon of honey contains 65 calories.
• American Indians called honeybees "white man's fly" as the European bees spread ahead of European man.
• Bees and their kin do not see red; red flowers are pollinated by birds.
• The fertile eggs the queen lays become workers. The infertile eggs she lays become the drones
• The drones' only function is to fertilize the queen, so the drone has a grandfather but no father!
• Future queens are created by feeding the eggs and larvae royal jelly.
• Multiple queen cells are created but when the first queen appears from her cell, she kills the other queen larvae in their cells.
• The only poisonous honey is produced from Mt Laurel blossoms and contains andromedotoxin. (Any mystery writers out there?)
• Statistics: One bee would fly 3 earth orbits using 1 oz. of honey for fuel to collect enough nectar to produce one pound of honey.
• Honey is/has been used in golf balls, shaving creams, shampoos, gear lubricants, chewing gum and tobacco.
• Below 45 degrees bees become paralyzed if not within their hive.
• Scent organs are located on the bee's antennae; queens have 2,000 organs, workers 6,000 and drones 30,000.
• A queen may lay up to 5,000 eggs at her peak, 1,500 to 2,000 is normal.
• Bees were used in wars: Henry I hurled bees among the horses of the Duke of Lorraine during their dispute.
• In WWI the German troops in East Africa used bees to fight the British.
• The Queen Bee can control her hive by releasing up to thirty different pheromones which keep the other bees calm and productive and chemically sends them instructions about what to do.
• A worker bee may visit up to 10,000 flowers per day before returning to the hive bearing the pollen.
• When the bee returns to the hive she does either a waggle dance, indicating that the best source of nectar is further away, or a round dance, which tells the other worker bees that the best source of nectar is nearby.
• During Renaissance era if you wanted to inflict a curse on an enemy, you would make a wax work model of that person and torture it by sticking pins into it then inflict agony by melting the model in the fire.
• In the late 15th century, a certain Majorie Jourdemayne was burned for attempting to kill Richard III with a wax work doll.
• Before beeswax candles were invented, tallow candles were used. They were made from meat fat and smelt horrible when burned.
• Wax was treated by early Christians as more pure than any other substance. They believed that bees were chaste (like Mary); as Christ was born of Mary, so wax was born of virgin bees. Therefore every year on 2nd February they celebrated ‘Candlemas’ and bless every candle.
• Bee motto: We work but not for ourselves
• In ancient Egypt, which was known as the Valley of the Bees, bees were said to have come from the tears of the God Re.
• The belief that honey enhances fertility and sexuality is one that is maintained today. Furthermore, research supports this claim.
• It appears that pollen stimulates ovarian function in women trying to conceive as it contains natural hormonal substances that stimulate and nourish the reproductive system.
• Royal jelly is rich in B vitamins, enzymes, hormones and amino acids and assists in the treatment of PMS, the menopause, infertility and impotence.
• As a hormone balancer, Royal Jelly can be used for acne, migraines and post natal depression.
• One pound of honey represents about 300 bees flying 15,000 bee airmiles and contains the pollen of two million flowers.
• Honey contains natural sugars that are quick and easy to absorb, making the journey from table to bloodstream in a record breaking seven minutes.
• It also contains proteins, vitamins, minerals and enzymes and is said to improve athletic performance.
• Bee's wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.
• The queen bee is the busiest in the summer months, when the hive needs to be at its maximum strength. She will lay about 1,000 to 1,500 eggs per day.
• Bee colonies have unique odours that they flash at the hive entrance, allowing the guard bees to identify them.
• One antioxidant called "pinocembrin" is only found in honey.
• Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water.
• As recently as the First World War, honey was being mixed with cod liver oil to dress wounds on the battlefield.
• Recent studies have proven that athletes who took some honey before and after competing recovered more quickly than those who did not.