* It takes nectar from about 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey 
  * A worker bee (female bee) makes only about 1/12 teaspoon of honey in her lifetime, which is about 
     four to six weeks during summer 
  * Bees have 5 eyes 
  * They fly about 20 mph 
  * Bees have 2 sets of wings 
  * Bees emit chemicals called pheromones to communicate 
  * A bee dies after losing its stinger in you, stinging only in defense of herself or her home 
  * Drones, or male bees, do not have stingers 
  *The Queen bee lays one to two thousand eggs a day, and lives for up to 5 years 
  * Bees are attracted to dark colors 
  * Each hive is home to up to 60,000 bees 
  * North Carolina's bee population is about 50 million, and contributes approximately $185 Million to        the agricultural industry through pollination each year. 


Raw Honey which has not been pasteurized or filtered, and ideally taken directly from the hive is a treasure chest of nutritional value and medicinal remedies. It contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals and is a natural and powerful medicine, both internally and externally. 

Raw honey may become granulated, as some does after only a few weeks and another maybe after several years. Honey varieties with a high glucose to water ratio will granulate faster than varieties having lower glucose/higher fructose content. If the granulations bother you, simply place the honey into a pan of hot water (no more than 100 degrees) and let it stand until becoming liquid again. 

The list of honey's beneficial functions is a long one. 
Honey increases calcium absorption; can increase hemoglobin count and treat or prevent anemia caused by nutritional factors; can help arthritic joints when combined with apple cider vinegar or honey vinegar; fights colds and respiratory infections of all kinds; can help to boost gastrointestinal ulcer healing; works as a natural and gentle laxative; aids constipation, allergies and obesity; provides an array of vitamins and minerals; and supplies instant energy without the insulin surge caused by white sugar.

Many have found raw honey helpful for its positive effects against allergies and hay fever, and a tablespoonful at night can help with insomnia as well as decrease night time trips to urinate.

As an antiseptic, honey is also a drawing agent for poisons from bites or stings or infected wounds, and has outperformed antibiotics in treatments for stomach ulcerations, gangrene, surgical wound infections, surgical incisions and the protection of skin grafts, corneas, blood vessels and bones during storage and shipment. 

Raw honey is exceptionally effective internally against bacteria and parasites, plus it contains natural antibiotics which help kill microbes directly. Raw honey, when applied topically, speeds the healing of tissues damaged by infection and/or trauma. It contains vitamins, minerals and enzymes, as well as sugars, all of which aid in the healing of wounds. In recent years, honey has been used effectively in clinical settings for the treatment of fist-sized ulcers extending to the bone, as well as for first, second and third-degree burns. Complete healing has been reported without the need for skin grafts and with no infection or muscle loss. It can be applied full strength to such conditions, covered with a sterile bandage, and changed daily. When the wounds are clean, honey acts as a healer. This also is the same procedure for infected wounds, ulcerations and impetigo. Garlic honey can also be applied directly to infected wounds, which will help clean up the area of infection. Honey has effective antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Astonishingly, it painlessly removes pus, scabs and dead tissue from wounds and stimulates new tissue growth. Randomized trials have shown that honey is more effective in controlling infection in burn wounds than silver sulfadiazine, the antibacterial ointment most widely used on burns in hospitals. 

The therapeutic potential of honey is grossly underutilized. With increasing interest in the use of alternative therapies and as the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads, honey may finally receive its due recognition as a wound healer. Raw honey makes a sterile, painless and effective wound dressing. Apply it directly to open cuts, abrasions and burns, and cover it with a piece of gauze. The results will occur quicker than with conventional alternatives, such as salves and creams. 

Honey is also exceptionally effective for respiratory ailments. One Bulgarian study of almost 18,000 patients found that it improved chronic bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis, chronic and allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. It's an effective treatment for colds, flu, respiratory infections and a generally depressed immune system. Whereas sugar shuts down the immune system, a good quality honey will stimulate it into action. 

Here are some more ways to utilize the healing power of honey: 
  BURNS - Apply freely over burns. It cools, removes pain and aids fast healing without scarring.                              Apart from being a salve and an antibiotic, bacteria simply cannot survive in honey. 
  BED WETTING - A teaspoon of honey before bed aids water retention and calms fears in children                                      (do not give to infants). 
  INSOMNIA - A tablespoon of honey aids sleep and works wonders. Your body repairs muscle tissue                             and other stuff while you sleep, it needs energy to do so and looks first in your liver for                           what it needs, if nothing is there, it robs what it needs from other parts of the body,                                 causing restlessness. Consumed honey right before bed goes straight to your liver, so                               the body has what it needs and you sleep better! 
  GUM DISEASE/RECEDING GUMLINES - honey will help heal gum disease while you sleep if you                                  take it AFTER brushing teeth before bed (it will NOT cause tooth decay since it has                                    antibacterial qualities that kill germs causing tooth decay).
  HYPERACTIVITY - Replace all use of white sugar with honey. White sugar is highly stimulating with                               no food qualities. Honey provides the energy without the "spike." 
  NASAL CONGESTION - Place a dessert spoon of honey in a basin of water and inhale fumes after                                   covering your head with a towel over the basin. Very effective!
  FATIGUE - Dissolve a dessert spoon of honey in warm water or mix in a jar or jug 1/4 honey and 3/4                                water and keep in the fridge. Honey is primarily fructose and glucose, so it's quickly                                absorbed by the digestive system. Honey is a unique natural stabilizer: Ancient Greek                              athletes took honey for stamina before competing and as a reviver after competition.
  FACIAL DEEP CLEANSER - Mix honey with an equal quantity of oatmeal, and apply as a face pack.                                Leave on for half an hour, then wash it off. Great as a deep cleanser for acne and other                             unwanted blemishes.
  POOR DIGESTION - Mix honey with an equal quantity of apple cider vinegar or honey vinegar and                                dilute to taste with water. This is also wonderful for the joints and promotes weight                                   loss.
  HAIR CONDITIONER - Mix honey with an equal quantity of olive oil, cover head with a warm towel                                for half an hour then shampoo off. Feeds hair and scalp. Your hair will never look or                                  feel better!
  SORE THROATS - Let a teaspoon of honey melt in the back of the mouth and trickle down the throat.                             Eases inflamed raw tissues.
  FOR STRESS - Honey in water is a stabilizer, calming highs and raising lows. Use approximately 25                                 percent honey to water.
  ANEMIA - Honey is the best blood enricher by raising corpuscle content. The darker the honey, the                               more minerals it contains.
  FOOD PRESERVATIVE - If you replace the sugar in cake and cookie recipes with honey, they'll stay                              fresher longer due to honey's natural antibacterial properties. Reduce liquids in the                                   mixture by about one-fifth to allow for the moisture present in the in honey.
  BABY'S BOTTLE - Four teaspoons of honey to a baby's bottle of water is an excellent pacifier and                                     multivitamin additive. If the baby's movements are too liquid, then reduce the honey                               by half a teaspoon; if too solid increase by half a teaspoon. (Caution: Don't give raw                                   honey to babies under 1 year old; it's just too rich, and infant immune systems may not                             be developed enough to handle impurities.) For teething, honey rubbed on a baby's                                   gums is also a mild sedative and anesthetic. 
  OSTEOPOROSIS - Research has shown that a teaspoon of honey per day aids calcium utilization and                             prevents osteoporosis - probably not a bad idea for anyone over 50.
  LONGEVITY - The most long-lived people in the world are all regular users of honey. An interesting                               fact, yet to be explained, is that beekeepers suffer less from cancer and arthritis than                               any other occupational group worldwide.
  MIGRAINE - Use a dessert spoon of honey dissolved in half a glass of warm water. Sip at the start of a                             migraine attack, and, if necessary, repeat after another 20 minutes.
  CONJUNCTIVITIS - Dissolve honey in an equal quantity of warm water. When cooled, apply as a                                      lotion or eye bath.
  COUGH MIXTURE - Combine 6 ounces (170 grams) liquid honey, 2 ounces (55 grams) glycerin and                                    the juice of two lemons. Mix well. Bottle and cork firmly, and use as required.
 
 BEESWAX 
  Candles  : Pure beeswax candles, when burned, help to purify the air. What is an air                                            purifier and what is negative ionization? Negative ions help freshen and purify the air                              by causing allergens such as pollen, mold spores and dust floating in the air (which                                  have either a neutral or a positive charge) to be attracted to and stick to each other,                                  forming “clumps (because opposite charges attract). These clumps of particles then                                  become heavy enough so that gravity can pull them down to the floor, where they can                              be vacuumed up, rather than staying in suspension where they can be breathed in                                    and cause allergic reactions. If you cannot procure a natural negative ionizer such as                                a waterfall, burning a beeswax candle is a simple and effective way of purifying the                                  air that you breathe. Check it out. The dustier your home the more black debris will                                  be deposited in the wax around the candle wick. Over time you may notice a white                                    powdery dust on a beeswax candle, usually when the wax is cold and exposed to air.                                 This is called bloom and is caused by the softer oils in the wax coming to the surface.                              Bloom is a good indication that your beeswax is pure. It is not harmful and may be                                    removed by buffing the candle with a nylon stocking although this does not work well                              with hand rolled candles.
 
 Get crafty: In addition to Candle making, use beeswax for mold making, batik art, lubricating                                            zippers (particularly for sub-aqua clothing), and mouth pieces for Didjeridoos...
  
  10 more uses for beeswax: 
     1. Unstick a drawer or window. A thin coat of beeswax on wooden rails makes the wood drawers                slide smoothly.
    2. Free frozen nuts. Help loosen a rusted nut by lubricating the bolt's threads with melted wax.
    3. Wax wood. For structural elements that need to look good but take no wear (such as exposed                 ceiling beams), heat equal parts beeswax, linseed oil, and turpentine. Apply with a burlap rag                 while the mixture is still warm.
   4. Preserve bronze. To ward against oxidation caused by moist air, brush on a solution of 1/3 pound          beeswax melted in 1 quart turpentine. Buff it with a towel to create a thin, hard coat.
   5. "Whip" frayed rope. Wrap a waxed length of string tightly around the rope's tip about a dozen                  times. Tie off the loose end and trim the excess.
   6. Lube screws. Georgia Beekeepers' Association president Robert Brewer rubs wax over the threads        of screws to make them drive smoothly and resist corrosion.
  7. Condition a wood cutting board. Add a half-teaspoon beeswax to a cup of mineral oil, microwave           until the wax melts, and apply the mixture to the board with a soft cloth.
   8. Polish concrete counters. Give a sealed, dark concrete countertop a muted, natural luster by                  rubbing melted beeswax over the surface with a chamois cloth. Let it dry and then wipe, says Fred        Hueston, director of the National Training Center for Stone and Masonry Trades.
   9. Preserve a patina. Seal a copper sink by rubbing it with softened beeswax and polishing off the               excess with a lint-free rag, says Shane Jost, owner of Mountains Edge Copperart.
  10. Waterproof leather. Combine equal parts beeswax, tallow, and neatsfoot oil (available online).                 Warm the mixture and use a rag to rub it on your work boots or gloves. ____________________________________________