Organic Honey And Alternative Medicine / Bee Therapy

Organic Honey, Raw Honey, Social / Alternative Medicine And Bee Therapy - Introduction In Organic Honey Science

Surely, most of you are aquainted with culinary delights of honey - at least of common extracted honey. But the real honey specialities are comb in the comb or comb-honey and raw honey: they are the best prophylactic against a cold. Eating honey during engagement was considered in former times to be useful in order to have strong and well shaped children later.

Honey is known at least for 12.000 years. Especially in Egypt a honey culture was widespread. Honey was used for ritual and medical purposes. From Greece we know by Hippokrates about 300 diferent honey remedies.

Honey contains up to 30 different kinds of sugar like fructose and dextrose and nearly 200 recorded substances. For instance organic acids, ferments, vitamins, aromatic substances und minerals like phosphor, iron, calcium, copper, manganese, magnesium, sodium, potassium, as well as many antibacterial pharmacologically active ingredients (Inhibines with antibiotic effect).

The point in the German honey regulation: honey is a natural sweet substance which is produced by honeybees while collecting nectar from plants or secretions from living parts of plants or excretions on plants from insects succing on plants, converting it by combination with their own specific substances, by storing it, by dehydrate it (reduce water content) and by storing it in the combs of the beehive and let it ripen.

Germany is worldchampion in honey consuming. The annual per-capita consumption is about 1,5 kg. But only a quarter of the german honey consumption is from own production. Pure German honey is being produced according DIB-standard. Pure German comb in the comb and run-honey is best produced according standards of ecological beekeeping (Centre for Ecological Apiculture); this comb- and run honey fulfill special requirements which exceed requirements from German honey regulation, German beekeepers association (DIB), organic rule and German organic associations.

If honey is correctly stored it is durable for many years. You should take care about a dry, dark and cold storage (15-18°C). Honeyjars need always to be closured propperly as honey adopts very quickly humidity and disturbing odours.

Crystallization has no influence on honeyquality; it is a natural process. Some kinds like clover honey crystallize immediately after honeyharvest. Others like fir honey, crystallize after years. It depends on different proportion of fructose and dextrose. Is the part of dextrose higher, the honey crystallizes faster and firmer. Honeyjar superscripts like „selection", „selected", „beekeeper’s honey" are only empty phrases.

But honey is not honey, especially organic or natural honey is not organic honey even if the process of production (in the honeybee) is always the same. The final product, which is yielded from honeycombs by running, extraction, or pressing, differ in several quality characteristics. The colour spectrum goes from nearly achromatic (white) to very dark colours. The consistency can be liquid, completely cristallized or beginning to cristallize. Differences in Taste and flavour depend mainly on botanical origin. According to the basic material one differs flowerhoney and honeydew honey. Flowerhoney comes completely or mainly from nectar of blossoms. Honeydew honey comes from honeydew of several tree species; excretions on plants from insects succing on plants. The bees collect these sugar containing excretions and converting it by combination with their own specific substances to honey. Honeydew honey is always dark, contains lots of mineral nutrients and has a spicy flavour; it is rather a specialty.

Organic Honey, Raw Honey, Social / Alternative Medicine And Bee Therapy - Organic Honey Science: Bee Products Differ Also In Respect Of Kinds Of Harvest:

1. Comb honey or comb in the comb is honey, which is still contained in caped combs built by the bees themselves - without broodcells. The combs are being cut and sold in portions to market. comb-honey is a raw honey bee products to which neither mechanical (extraction, stiring procedure) nor heat treatment ("melting") has occured and which consequently is an product of especially high quality (don't confuse with artificial comb honey). Thus there is an increase in popularity regarding comb honey. But always again checking turns out that in parts 90 percent of the comb honey is being criticized. For the most part it is imported honey which contains brood and artificial foundation and is sometimes contaminated with antibiotics and beerepellents. Also comb honey and organic comb honey from Germany is concerned, if it is not produced according standards of Centre for Ecological Apiculture. According EU-Rules even artificial foundation in comb honey is allowed. More information and sources of supply for pure comb honey with natural cristalization (not heated) are availlable in the Centre for Ecological Apiculture. More Info...

2. Honey with parts of combs (chunk-honey) contains one or more pieces of comb-honey.

3. A delicacy for people who live according the sentence: „A healthy mind in a healthy body" may also try comb-honey or chunk-honey with beebread (pollen stored by the bees in newly built combs). More information and sources of supply availlable in the Centre for Ecological Apiculture. More Info...

4. Run-honey: this specialty is said to be the best honey directly after comb-honey. The beekeeper lets drip the honey out of the uncaped combs. This method is nowadays only practiced by very few beekeers; in Germany and Europe mainly beekeepers of the Centre for Ecological Apiculture practice production of this specialty. Useful for raw honey production. More Info...

5. The „bestseller" among all honey kinds is extracted honey or organic honey; this kind of honey or organic honey is being extracted from uncaped combs in a an extractor (centrifugal machine). This kind of honey and mainstream organic honey are offered in most apiaries, organic beekeeping enterprises and can be found in supermarkets. This method is not useful for raw honey production.

6. Regarding presshoney the combs are being pressed or the honey is harvested by heating the combs up to 45°C. This method is rarely used nowadays and not useful for raw honey production.

7. Nowadays honey is being ultrafiltrated - and withit somehow adulterated; honey is being heated and pressed through ceramic filters. This kind of honey needs to be labled as filter-honey as he contains almost no typical components of honey like pollen. Mainly used by Countries who are known as famous honeyexporters and mass producers of genetically modified seeds; they are able to filter out genetical engineered pollen. (This kind of honey usually can be found in supermarkets)

8. Artificial honey: It is no honey, only similar to honey and an artificially produced substitute. It is allowed to mix honey with artificial honey. But this product needs to be labled as artificial honey. (very inexpensive and offered only in supermarkets)

9. Artificial honey comb: many varieties of honey comb nowadays need to be called artificial - even organic honey comb. It is not yet clearified if artificial honey comb may cause infertility. More Info...

Organic Honey, Raw Honey, Social / Alternative Medicine And Bee Therapy - Organic Honey Science: Learn More On How To Produce Raw Honey

Even organic and bio-dynamic apiaries are allowed to use artificial parts of the combs, to feed sugar and siropes, to make full use of travelling with beecolonies, to use heat treatment for bee-produce. Thats the reason why it is useful purchasing apitherapeutical beeproducts from beekeeping considering the character of bees (certified according standards of Centre for ecological Apiculture); these beekeepers support a "longlasting fertility in beekeeping" in contrast to success in artificial beekeeping for a short time. These products cannot be found in organic shops or supermarkets; they can only be ordered directly in special apiaries. More...

Those beekeepers who want more than producing mainstream organic honey and artificial honey comb, who want to stop "traditional" framehive beekeeping and start with organic / ecological topbar beekeeping are requested to register for distance course No. 19 in organic / ecological topbar beekeeping (register now!). More...

Organic Honey, Raw Honey, Social / Alternative Medicine And Bee Therapy - Further Reading And References

Centre for Ecological Apiculture 2010: Manuka Health and Organic honey - which Standards are relevant for social Medicine / natural Apitherapy? Api Review Letters 9, Nr. 422

Centre for Ecological Apiculture 2023: Quality of Bee Products. Press release

Centre for Ecological Apiculture 2023: Old Traditions in Apiculture and Viniculture Press release

Centre for Ecological Apiculture 2009:Bienenkiste or Tbh? Api Review Letters 8, Nr. 379

Thiele, M. 2022: Bienenkiste, Warré or Top bar hive? - Take which-ever you like best, but which is the best for beginners, gardeners and backyard beekeepers? Press release