TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE: What is the Answer?

I discovered the delicious taste and health benefits of RAW honey when I moved to Topanga Canyon, California, and began to write for the local publications. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), had just begun to appear in the media, and I was alarmed to hear how consumers might be affected.

Research on the vanishing honeybee.
The research stated that the world stood to lose a majority of their fruits and vegetable, because of the bees’ disappearance. From that winter day on, the taste of raw honey became more precious to me, as I had also learned that it is one of Nature’s superfoods, and almost a complete nutrient.

I watch honeybees gather nectar for their honey stomachs, and pollen for baskets they carry on their back legs, and they don’t notice me in the Topanga Canyon WINTER sunshine. I, like most people, didn't think of bees buzzing in the wintertime.

Honey history and facts.
Each day, I scoop raw honey from the glass jar. I savor the taste and health benefits of history’s oldest agricultural product, which has existed for millions of years. The ancient Egyptians farmed honey 3,000 years ago, and considered bees the symbol of sacred femininity. They also used honey for healing wounds and as a preservative, due to its antibacterial properties.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
Honeybees, Apis melifera, are disappearing in some regions of the U.S. due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which is rampant on the East Coast. Honeybees in the East are disoriented, not reproducing, and dying. Pesticides, parasitic mites, viruses, and climate change have been suggested as a cause. However, some studies indicated that the electromagnetic field is being altered by our communication systems, such as cell phones and wireless computers. Scientists are currently trying to find the true cause of this serious situation.

Our food supply depends on bees.
According to Maraym Heneis, producer of the documentary video, The Vanishing Bees, bees pollinate one-third of the produce in the USA. Without honeybees we could lose much of our fruits and vegetables in the near future. We need the cross-pollination that our fuzzy friends provide from clover and alfalfa, which feed our livestock and poultry.

Local beekeeper and inside information.
Delmar Lathers is in his forties, was born in Topanga Canyon, and has been a resident and beekeeper since 1976. He raises colonies of chemical-free feral hives. Delmar confides that under the right conditions, his bees will naturally overproduce 250 pounds of virgin raw, organic honey in one year. Delmar’s Topanga honeybees gather their nectar and pollen from uncontaminated wild flowers such as chaparral, sage, mustard, wiold rosemary,as well as from local tree blossoms, such as eucalyptus. He keeps his hives as a paying hobby and “to be nice to the bees.” Luckily, CCD has not hit Topanga as yet. Delmar attributes CCD to an immune deficiency disorder in the bees.

However, the actual cause may be complex and have many sources. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, one-quarter of North America’s honeybee colonies out of 2.4 million collapsed in 2007.

Superfood raw honey vs. processed honey.
Raw, unprocessed honey is a Superfood that provides antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates, some protein, and phytonutrients. According to the National Honey Board (NHB), 82 percent of households currently use processed honey, which has been heated and pasteurized, and can contain botulism and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Processed honey is not as antibacterial as raw honey, and is dangerous for diabetics and infants under 12 months old. Heated commercial honey has hardly any benefits to speak of, apart from it’s taste.

Raw honey's medical benefits.
According to May Berenbaum, Ph.D., a University of Illinois entomologist, "Honey has been used for centuries to treat a wide range of medical problems like wounds, burns, cataracts, skin ulcers and scrapes." Various researchers worldwide are finding strong antimicrobial properties in some raw honeys.

Raw honey is used by many cultures as a remedy for ulcers, digestion, bronchitis, and as an energizer, and provides answers to many other health problems. Recently, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, the equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, approved honey as a medicine

I can’t wait to taste Delmar’s honey this year. The flavor will be especially delicious now that I know that his bees are alive and well, and producing the honey flow –raw, local, organic, and at it’s highest golden standard. We recommend that all wound infections and disease remedies be approved by your healthcare provider or homeopath.