The products of the hive

The hive is made up of very few products, but each of them performs an essential function for the future of its hosts. All manufactured by bees for the proper functioning of the colony. Here we briefly explain each of them.

Honey

It is the main and best known product of the hive. Honey derives from the transformation of plant nectar. This nectar is deposited in the alveoli and then turns into honey thanks to the mixture made by the bees inside. We could say that the nectar is the donation that the flowers make to the bees so that in return they pollinate their species, since the bee can travel hundreds of flowers in one day, pollinating practically all of them.

Pollen:

Rich in protein, it serves as food for bee larvae. Bees have access to a wide variety of flowers because the hive is nourished by all the properties that pollen possesses. Thanks to these the hive will grow quickly. The pollen is collected at the doors of the hive thanks to a narrowing of the beehive, where the bee detaches it from its legs and deposits it in a box that is placed at the entrance of the hive.

honeydew:

Honeydew is a sugary substance that is created by the bite of various insects (aphids, etc.) on tree leaves. This molasses is a sweet liquid that the bees store in the hive as nectar and give a special honey. Sometimes spruce and pine trees are much bitten by aphids, producing large amounts of honeydew, as it is known in some regions, and harvesting a good cut of this type of honey.

Propolis:

It is produced through plants and shrubs. It is a kind of resin found in the buds of trees. The bees collect it and use it in the hive to protect themselves from external elements, it is a real antibiotic. Propolis, as it is known, is also an antiseptic that today is being widely used in humans for the treatment of ailments. It is found in the hive attached to the frames and is collected by scraping the frames where the bees have stored it. It is widely used to treat sore throats.

Royal jelly:

It is the only food consumed by the queen bee. To produce a good quantity of royal jelly, the nurse bee must be well fed and nourished with honey. Thanks to royal jelly, the queen can live up to 4 years, an age well above that of the worker bee, which is around 20, 40 days. Royal jelly is a very important source of vitamins, minerals and large amounts of nutrients. Today royal jelly is widely consumed by humans to provide energy and health.

Wax:

It is the glands of the bees that produce the wax. Wax is a complex mixture of organic compounds where more than 300 chemical components have been found. Mainly the bees use the wax to build their cells and be able to house the honey there and to serve as a "nest" for the larvae.