Honeycomb honey is a natural product that, due to its floral aroma and extraordinary multifaceted taste, is simply filled with a summer mood. Since time immemorial, bee honeycombs have been considered a very valuable product of bee production, but not everyone knows what is so useful for honeycombs? Let's try to find out.
What is honeycomb, how honeycombs are built up
Honey that has not yet been extracted from wax cells is called "honey in honeycombs" or "comb honey." Most often, this honey is liquid, but in times of lack of sufficient moisture, it can crystallize a little. What honey tastes and smells depends on the plants from which the bees collected pollen and nectar.
When building a honeycomb, it is important to pay attention to their quality. If the cells are incorrectly rebuilt, with a large number of elongated transitional and drone cells, they will become unsuitable for laying the queen bee.
Important! To obtain high-quality honeycomb, you need to build up the frame with sheets of artificial wax.In the comb, from eggs, new individuals appear, the nectar turns into honey, and the bees in such places rest and store reserves of beef and honey. Depending on the purpose and the device, there are six types of cells:
- Bee Bee cells have a hexagonal shape. They serve for the breeding of working bees and storage of bee bread and honey;
Did you know? Perga - flower pollen, which the bees put in cells, tamped and filled with honey.
- The drone combs differ from bees only in size. They are also used to store honey, but bees do not store perga in them (the reason for this has not been clarified);
- Transient. Such cells of a bee are built to move from honeycombs to the drone. Their main difference is the absence of signs of special purpose. These cells fill the space between the cells. Transient honeycomb is smaller than the drone, but larger than the bee. In them, the bees store honey, but do not grow brood;
- Extreme. Like transitional cells, extreme cells have an irregular shape. They are used exclusively for attaching the mesh to the slat frames;
- Honey. By design, they are similar to honeycombs, but much longer. They are also deeper than other cells, and thanks to the structure bent to the top, honey does not flow from them;
- Uterine. These cells are the largest. As is evident from the name, they are used for growing queen bees. In the uterine cells never store any stocks.
The composition and beneficial properties of honey
Unlike other types of honey, honeycomb is enriched with pollen, wax and propolis. It also contains a number of amino acids, micro and macro, natural antibiotics and various enzymes. The composition of such honey depends on the varieties of plants from which pollen was collected. Honeycomb average:
- 82% carbohydrates;
- 0.8% protein;
- 17% water;
Did you know? Honey fats are completely absent.Bee honeycombs, more precisely, the benefits that they bring to the human body, have long been proven in practice, and harm can manifest itself only in the form of allergic reactions. Thanks to the wax contained in honeycombs, the body is cleansed of harmful elements, toxins and slags are removed. Honeycombs with honey have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system and eliminate the problems of dentistry. Thanks to honey, honeycombs have bactericidal, antifungal, wound healing and immunogenic effects.
Propolis eliminates pain of various origins.
Due to the prolonged chewing of honeycombs, the pathogenic bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity are quickly eliminated. Also, honeycombs have a good effect on the nervous system, reducing the feeling of fatigue, depression, nervousness, overstrain and improving the condition of the stomach (especially important for ulcers). After the list of their advantages, probably, there are no more questions like "Can honey from honey be eaten?".
How to get and save honey from honeycombs at home
Good, high-quality honey in honeycombs, it is better to buy at honey fairs, from beekeepers "with hands" or on the market. It is sold in the form of rectangular cuts or entirely in frames. Color may be different. The palette varies from white to golden-yellow, as the color from the plants from which the bees collected pollen and nectar affect the color.
Important! Honeycombs should be the same color as honey.Honeycomb honey should be stored in a ceramic or glass container. Honeycombs are divided into small strips and placed in the appropriate dishes. The container must be clean, dry and have a lid. How to store honeycombs? Simply place the container with honeycombs in a cool and dark room, then the product will not lose its useful properties for a long time. Keeping honey in honeycombs in such conditions, honey will remain high quality for several years. After one year of storage, the honey may begin to crystallize.
Important! Do not store honey at a temperature above +30, its useful properties will be lost.
Is it possible to eat honeycombs, and how to do it
Like any other product, honey from honeycombs has some contraindications. First of all, these are allergic reactions, although they are so rare that most people feel only the positive effect of using honey.
Based on this, the conclusion suggests itself: you can eat honey in honeycombs, but how to use it is already your business. You can eat it whole, or you can add it to tea.
Did you know? Only 2% of people from the entire population of the earth are subject to allergic reactions to honey.
The use of honeycomb in traditional medicine
Honey, in itself, is very nutritious, it contains many vitamins and trace elements, but honey in honeycombs is many times more beneficial. Proceeding from the name, it is clear that it is located directly in wax honeycombs. Honeycomb honey includes propolis, pollen and perga, which only increase the beneficial properties of the product. In folk medicine, honey in honeycombs is used quite often. Thanks to him, and the honeycomb itself, the following ailments can be cured:
- pharyngitis;
- problems with the digestive system;
- mucosal inflammation, various wounds and burns;
- angina and stomatitis;
- hypertension;
- flu.
Are there any contraindications
As mentioned earlier, only two percent of the inhabitants of the Earth have a persistent allergic reaction to all bee products. If you are not sure that you are not allergic, then it is better to consult a specialist. You will be given a bioassay, the results of which will tell you whether you can enjoy the gifts of nature. But, if you have already consumed honey many times and bees have bitten you, then you can eat honey in honeycombs without fear and not fear for your health, you already know how to eat honeycombs.