Did you know bees have feelings? According to a study by Newcastle researchers, bees ‘may exhibit emotions’. Well… in that case, thank goodness for such amazing people as Liesa Helfen of Worker B! Liesa and I sat down for many hours to discuss topics ranging from raw honey to her incredible skin care line. A true BEE education!
Einstein is often quoted as having said that if the bees perish, “mankind will follow within four years”. LoveSelfers, bees are dying and this is serious stuff.
Bees contribute to approximately 1/3 of the human diet. Our seeds, nuts, berries, and other vegetation rely on insect pollination of which bees are the primary participants. Not only are bees critical to our earth ecosystem, they produce body loving honey, amazing propolis, and your highness worthy, royal jelly.
What I learned from Ms. Liesa, bee keeper and raw honey extraordinaire, could cover volumes. For now, let’s start with the basics.
The natural home for a bee city is a tree. A hive typically contains three types of bees; the queen bee, thousands of female worker bees, and a few boys called drones. The queen lays eggs in what is called a brood comb. (You can think of the brood as a baby bee nursery). The worker bees take care of the babies during their 21 day gestation period. The boys? Well, the boys mate and then die. Sorry dudes. At least it was an exciting short life.
What is propolis and royal jelly you ask? Propolis is collected from tree resin by the bees and is used as a sealant to protect their happy home. What’s so cool about this bee type caulk? It is amazingly good for your health. Propolis benefits are said to be antibacterial, anti-viral, and may even inhibit tumor growth.
Royal jelly is secreted by the workers to feed the baby princesses that are next in line for the royal thrown (meaning the larvae destined to be queen bees). Royal jelly may have healing properties such as ant-inflammatory capabilities, brain boosting powers, and even serve as a liver protectant.
Wow! Now add to the list, amazing healing honey and you may just want to hug a bee. Speaking of honey… raw please! To learn more about why raw honey check out our tips article.
Bees are pretty cool, right? So what is happening to them? The short version. Humans! These amazing little multi-tasking healers are being sprayed with fungicide, herbicide, pesticide, insecticide, and getting stressed out to practical suicide. So, what can you do?
The answer?! The right thing. Ask questions. Start with getting to know people like Leisa from Worker B. Liesa and her partners (the Mikes) love their bees. They take the best holistic care of them. Never are they shipped, sprayed, or migrated. They are loved, treated well, and blessed with gratitude. The propolis and honey they produce are carefully harvested and used with stunningly beautiful ingredients for incredible skin health. The Worker B team would never consider cutting corners and make every soap, lotion, balm, and tincture lovingly by hand.
Liesa and I ended our stunning day of education and bonding with a honey tasting. Liesa summed it up perfectly when she said, after one particularly amazing taste, “Honey is a world of happiness…. a grin that starts from my toes”. I couldn’t agree more as I laughed with my happy honey love buzz.
At LoveSelf we adore baking with raw honey. Check out Liesa’s Gluten Free Banana Energy Bar recipe and don’t forget to join our secret recipe club!
