10 Interesting Facts About Honey

Honey has been used for centuries, and for a number of purposes. Whether it's used to sweeten food and drinks, or for therapeutic purposes like treating burns, coughs, and wounds, honey has played a crucial role in our lives for a long time now. As a key component of face packs and hair masks, honey also plays a significant part in our skin care and hair care routines. However, there is more to honey than what meets the eye! We all know that honey comes from honeybees, but very few of us are aware of the fascinating details regarding both the bees and the honey-making process. In this blog, we'll look at some incredible and uncommon facts about bees and honey that you may or may not have known before.

Honey can be stored forever

Yes, honey is one of the most uncommon foods that never degrades. Honey can be kept for an endless period of time if it is properly wrapped and stored in an airtight container. This is due to the fact that honey includes an enzyme that generates hydrogen peroxide, a natural preservative.

There are mainly two kinds of honey

There are two forms of honey that are readily accessible in the market – mono-floral and multi-floral. IF only a single type of flower is used to produce honey, it is known as mono-floral honey; and if nectar is drawn from a variety of flowers, it is known as multi-floral honey. For instance, nectar drawn from lychee orchards comes under the mono-floral category, while that drawn from a dark forest falls under the multi-floral honey.

There is a ton of different flavours of honey

If you've only ever consumed plain, ordinary honey, you've been missing out on the delight of numerous varieties. There are more than 300 different types of honey, each with an own flavour, appearance, and experience! The source from which nectar is drawn has an impact on the flavour of the honey. Different types of honey come in different shades—dark or light—and even have different flavour profiles—strong or delicate. In addition to the source, weather, rainfall, and other environmental elements also affect how honey tastes.

Honey is a sweet, but healthy delight

Unlike sugar, which is known for its unhealthy sweetness, honey is known to be a sweet, but healthy delight. That’s because honey is low on the glycemic index, so, despite its sweetness, it doesn't raise blood sugar levels. In fact, the antioxidants present in honey can aid in defending the body against diseases.

Bees put in a lot of effort to produce honey

A typical beehive can produce between 10 and 50 kilograms of honey per year. A colony of bees must visit 2 million flowers, travel 500 miles, and labour nonstop to produce only half a kilogram! It takes more than 800 honey bees to work together to contribute to this enormous amount! These tiny insects really are hardworking, aren't they?

A teaspoon needs a lifetime of the bees

Speaking in terms of the teaspoon, you’d be flabbergasted to know that the diligent bees can only produce about 1 teaspoon of honey over their lifetime! With the millions of flowers they need to feed upon, and the miles they need to cover, you can only imagine how much they need to work to produce that tiny amount.

Bees themselves keep the temperature controlled

Bees have the extraordinary capacity to keep the optimal hive temperature of 93–95 degrees throughout the entire year. This is achievable due to their cold-blooded nature, which necessitates a consistent temperature inside the hive. Bees congregate in throngs on cold days to produce body heat and stuff propolis into hive crevices. When it becomes too hot, they gather water and blow it around the entry until it evaporates, producing a refreshing breeze inside, similar to a central air conditioner. Isn’t this just so amazing!?

The bees communicate by dancing

Since bees do not have ears, they converse with one another using distinctive motions known as the "Waggle dance." They dance to alert others whenever they want to convey information, such as where the nectar is available, how far away the source is, a warning of danger, and many other things. They use various dancing moves to distinguish each message. That’s another mindboggling fact about the bees!

Honey is magically medicinal

Being a powerhouse of fructose, glucose, water, antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, nutrients, calcium, magnesium, and iron, honey proves to be magically medicinal. Honey has been used since ancient times to treat coughs and sore throats. It is also a powerful wound healer, thanks to the presence of hydrogen peroxide, which is known to prevent infection and promote healing. Honey is also an excellent natural energy and immunity booster. The skin and hair can also seem more vibrant and nourished if you apply products enriched with honey.

Bees eat honey too

Bees work tirelessly throughout the summer to ensure they have enough honey reserves to maintain the hive over the winter. They gather around the queen as the temperature drops and vibrate their bodies to generate heat, burning calories. They require food that can refill their stamina and keep them working because they expend so much energy. This is why they feed on their own generated honey to maintain their level of vitality.

We’ve always known honey to be a marvellous sweet kitchen ingredient with numerous uses and health advantages. But now you know the efforts put in behind that one jar of honey you so easily buy from the store! So the next time you think of purchasing a jar of honey or incorporating it into a recipe, remember how difficult it was for nature's tiny superheroes to get it there and how incredible this golden delicacy truly is, and don’t forget to thank them for that jar of honey you’ve made your own.

Haven’t stocked up on honey yet!? Then, waste no more time, and get your hands on this marvellously magical natural ingredient now! And, for better results, stay away from the chemically-infused honey that mess up with this pure natural delight, and opt for organic honey instead. One place you can search is BrahmiOnline, the best Ayurvedic products online store, where you can get natural honey extracted from traditional apiaries of Coorg, and other mountain areas and deep forests.