What a magical, mystical gift.
For thousands of years honey has been prescribed to cure ills and heal wounds. The Greeks even believed that it could extend your life if you consumed it regularly.
With its relatively acidic ph profile bacteria doesn’t stand a chance of survival when smothered in this golden goodness, and its antioxidant properties eliminate free radicals within the body.
A dollop of honey has shown to provide effective healing for the following ailments – just to name a few.
- Burns and wounds
- Acid reflux
- Gastroenteritis
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- Allergies
- Infection
However, our bees are under attack.
Since 2006 1/3 of our honey bee population has disappeared.
This is serious stuff.
If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.
– Albert Einstein
Though historically linked to temperature changes in the atmosphere, this massive die-off has most recently been linked to an influx of parasites and viruses.
Recent research has shown that the rapid wipe-out of honey bees is linked to a parasite called Apocephalus borealis or “zombie fly”. Found residing in the bodies of yellow jacket hornets and bumblebees since the 1920’s, cases among honey bees have only been reported throughout the United States since 2008.
The “zombie fly” plants its eggs within the bees abdomen, the larvae then hatches causing the bees to act erratically, leaving their hives in the evening, wandering aimlessly like zombies.
It is unknown if the bees are driven out of the hive by the onslaught of parasites, or whether they have chosen to leave the hive in order to protect their hive-mates once they have been bitten.
The good news is that research is undertow. Scientists have placed tiny sensors on bees in both San Fransisco and Vermont in order to track their movements and habits.
As of today, ABC 7 News stated that they’re hoping this parasite won’t survive the winter.
I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything.
If you would like to take part in the research, you can join the “ZomBee Watch” at https://www.zombeewatch.org/
But Wait!
Just last week studies shared that the elusive tobacco ringspot virus has also had an overwhelming effect on the recent decline of the bee population. This virus has been shown to spread from the tobacco plant to soy crops and then of course onto the bees that pollinate those crops.
Soy as you know it has been genetically modified for years now and has created a race of super bugs that have mutated to avoid death by pesticide.
But we’ll hit on all of that another time.
For now… there have been no studies showing a correlation between the sick bees and tainted honey. It seems that the healthy are still working hard and the sick have fallen back to the earth.
Have some with your tea, or your toast. And don’t forget to keep some in your first-aid kit.
Check out the recipes section for my favorite honey balsamic salad dressing!
Resources
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/31/zombie-bees_n_4184479.html
https://www.zombeewatch.org/
http://www.honeybeezen.com/a-new-threat-parasitic-fly-turns-honey-bees-into-zombies/
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/money/science-and-tech/zombie-bees-surface-in-the-northeast-insects-infected-by-parasitic-flies0130214
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264667.php