The harvesting of honey produced by bees by humans dates back centuries. A 10,000-year-old cave painting found in Spain depicts a human figure collecting honeycomb from a wild beehive surrounded by bees.
Beekeeping was well-established in ancient Egypt, where beekeepers practiced moving hives, as evidenced by numerous reliefs found in the pharaohs’ tombs, showing historic beekeepers transporting beehives by boat along the Nile, seeking different blooming areas from Upper to Lower Egypt.
The bee, a key player in the sweet and ancient history of beekeeping, has also evolved in parallel with beekeepers who have gradually discovered their needs to maximize the benefits of their work.
The predecessor of the modern bee was solitary and laid eggs in a nest with food reserves but did not tend to the offspring.
Over thousands of years, the joint evolution of bees and flowers has made these insects social creatures, forming larger colonies, which increased the need to collect large quantities of nectar and pollen to feed the brood.
In turn, flowers with abundant nectar became efficient pollen distributors. Bees are attracted to the nectar inside flowers, and due to their specialized morphology, they become covered in pollen, transporting it from one flower to another, fertilizing it, and ensuring the species’ continuity. Bees have become the most effective pollinators and a key factor in biodiversity conservation.
According to the Mayo Clinic, honey can be used as an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic agent, and even as an antioxidant. It is ideal for treating coughs, and when used topically, it can assist in treating burns and wound healing.
Scientific evidence suggests that honey could help prevent gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea associated with gastroenteritis. The phenolic compounds and other antioxidants in honey have various effects on heart health, including dilating arteries to increase blood flow, which helps prevent clot formation.
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