BEES bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Last weekend in late summer 2011 we went to the apiary/bee place called Intermiel in Mirabel:  http://www.intermiel.com/index_an.shtml. The "animateur" , as he is called in French, is an entomologist and was VERY enthusiastic about the subject(s). He took us around the plant - starting with a small DVD on the history of the place, discussed some bee products, let himself get stung, showed some hives and then ended it with some lovely samples of hydromel, which is water with fermented honey - up to 14 % alcohol. Unfortunately I do not drink and could only smell the wonderful samples. They also now have apple cider and some ice wine.

For me the most interesting part was the bee by-products:

1) bee pollen: this is taken from the bees as they enter the hive. Obviously not all since the hive needs it as food. The collected pollen is cleaned and kept dry. It contains all the nutrients and minerals for bees AND humans. I purchased a small container and take about one teaspoon per day. It has helped my thinking, digestion and energy levels. Some people have side affects and I have had some muscle cramps. Apparently this has been around for centuries - is it a well kept secret ?

2) propolis: is a substance bees use to keep intruders out of the hive and when they do intrude, they kill them and cover them in this substance. Apparently it acts as a disinfectant and mummifying agent. When I cut myself windsurfing , the only treatments i used were water from the dirty river and some propolis ointment. I can tell you it did feel like it healed quickly with NO pain or infection. The cut was through the skin and healed to the point of being back on the water and windsurfing in less than one week. My wife purchased some propolis from Walmart, which comes from France and is taken internally.

There is also "raw propolis" that one chews. I have tried it twice. I chew it until I cannot chew it anymore and spit it out once and swallowed the 2nd time. Not sure the swallowing caused diarrhea or not, but will check back later on that one ... WELL, as far as I am concerned, it is true, swallowing this type of propolis will cause diarrhea - for me in any case. And as the Fench say,"Jamais deux sans trois !!"

Have also purchased propolis ointment now. This was what i tried when i cut my hand windsurfing. I felt it helped my hand cure quickly with NO infection. The cut went to the meat. Here is a pic of the ointment - my hand injury is posted in the new journal entry section :-) hand injury foto

3) royal jelly: is secreted from the glands of young bees for a certain amount of time ONLY and fed to the "babies"/pupa. This allows them to increase in growth exponentially. If more than usual is given, the individual bee becomes a queen !!! In other words, it is some kind of super booster. People take it for clarity of thinking and energy boosting as well. I have NOT tried this YET. {will post better pic when i get some :) } So, here is a pic that I took -- instructions say one to three teaspoons per day - check the size of the "tea spoon" :-)

The reason I write about these things here is: these are natural products that can be used by windsurfers - or anyone for that matter for the purposes described above.

Note: all these products do seem expensive !!
btw the chocolate and honey mixes are delicious AND sinful !!

I do NOT drink any alcohol of any kind. However, i do find it extremely interesting that mead is made from bee by-products - as is hydro-mel. These honey wines have 10 to 15 % alcohol and are very aromatic. The two(2) pictured here have won awards !! As a non-drinker and parent, i do not advocate use of wine. However, i do know many people are wine lovers and fanatics. I merely wish to suggest to those of you who do enjoy a glass of wine to try these... So far, I have heard nothing but good things about them ...And i do enjoy their bouquet :-)

As you may have noticed, I did not depict honey here and I will, but what I found of interest in 2016 is this Manuka honey that comes from New Zealand. Apparently the combination of the manuka bush with the honey has even more healing powers. NOT all Manuka honey is greated equal and they actually rate on some UMF factor ... Will find a decent pic of this one as well ...

And of course I forgot the hand balm. It may work better for cracked skin or eczema than the propolis skin cream - depending on the person. I use propolis exclusively and my wife uses the balm. Each to their own and I stand behind both products - excellent reviews from all who have tried either ...