Bees. Before starting, we should see the anatomy of a bee: They live in a wonderful way, they live on flowers and they minutely build their beehive.

Transcription

1 1. Anatomy of a bee 2. Life 3. Organization and roles 4. Bees as bioindicators 5. How do they make honey? 6. How do bees produce honey? 7. How can heavy metals be in the honey? Bees 1- Before starting, we should see the anatomy of a bee: 2- They live in a wonderful way, they live on flowers and they minutely build their beehive.

2 3- Their organization is remarkable and perfect: they re divided in groups according to their role: -Queen bee She originates from a royal cell; in each hive there's only one queen bee, which is bigger and glower than other bees. She eats only royal jelly during her life and can live for five years. She's fecundated only once in her life and she brings to life a lot of kelps: the royal queen deposes from 2000 to 3000 eggs per day. She has a pheromone which distinguishes the nest, keeps the worker bee sterile and keeps the unity of the family. -Worker bees The worker bee originates in 21 days from a feconded egg. In their production period they can live for 50 days and in the hive there are from to worker bees (depending on the season). The tasks are divided according to their age: cleanser bee which cleans beehive and frames nurse bee which feeds the brood wax bee which builds the honeycomb storer bee which turns nectar into honey and stores it airer bee which airs the beehive explorer bee which flies to explore habitat and flowers foraging bee which collects nectar from flowers in only one trip; she can visit, in one day, even 3000 flowers and fills the bag melaria, then she can go back to the hive. The foraging

3 bee can fly for 3 km, and her bag melaria can contain 40mg of nectar. When the collection is finished, the foraging bee brings the nectar to the hive with the flower features such as flavors, perfumes, vitamins and mineral salt. -Kelps They originate in 24 days from unfecondated eggs. They live in the hive for three months, about from March and August, and they could be 2000 or The kelps are bigger and have more hair than the worker bees. The kelps that fertilize the queen are intended to death. 4- Biomonitoring means detect and quantify the environmental contamination level. Bees are important biological indicators because every day they're busy with an intense foraging activity. During this activity, bees collect in their body polluting substances such as pesticides, heavy metals, benzopyrene and radionuclides. 5- The bees are very important for our environment: they impollinate the flowers, and this is fundamental for the life of the world. The bees can fulfill this role because of their anatomic structure: -ligule -paws -body hair The bees have also a productive task, and their products are important in the economic world: honey, royal jelly, wax and Propolis are well known examples. The first step in the honey production starts in the bees' craw, where the collected nectar is accumulated. Here the worker bees digest the nectar with the help of several enzymes. The final elaboration of the nectar is done with a dehydration for preventing fermentation. The honey needs 36 days to become mature. Each hive collects the nectar within 3 km; for the production of 1kg of honey, the bees have to fly for km. 6- COMPOSITION OF HONEY: The main components of honey are fructose, glucose, water, and other sugars and various substances, including organic acids, minerals, enzymes, flavorings and many others. Honey is a food of high nutritional value, easily assimilated. Glucose provides energy for immediate use, fructose is metabolized in the liver and is an energy reserve. One hundred grams of honey provide

4 320 calories and a sweetness level. It consists mainly of simple sugars (glucose and fructose in different percentages: this ratio is very important since, for a high ratio it corresponds to glucose high tendency to crystallization.) And it is easily digestible. HONEY AS DRUG: Honey has been regarded for centuries as a real drug, to be used on several occasions for the prevention and treatment of small health disorders, especially when the medicines to which we are now accustomed to didn t exist. Science in recent years has decided to find evidence of its effectiveness. Who doesn t use it for ethical reasons, can replace it with malt, being its consistency and flavor rather similar, in the cooking and as a sweetener. Those who decide to add it in their food, should always express their preference for raw and organic honey, that is honey which has not undergone industrial processes such as to deprive it of the nutrients that make it up and which might benefit health. We must also take into account how some pediatricians prefer not to give honey to children under one year, because of the danger of possible infections due to the possible presence of botulinum toxin, to avoid the risk of allergic reactions and to avoid early habits to sweet taste, a factor that could influence their food choices in the future. Here are some cases in which science has been able to examine the beneficial effects of honey on the organism: 1) Sedative cough According to studies carried out by the experts of the Tel Aviv University, honey can be considered as a substitute for common cough syrups and administered in the evening before going to bed in the dose of one teaspoon, as if it were a real drug. Doctors have been able to realize in the course of such an experiment as it can be really effective in quelling the cough, without the need of using other medicines. 2) Antibiotic properties The antibiotic properties of honey, applied to the skin for topical use, were well known by the traditional natural medicine, but were soon forgotten with the arrival of penicillin and pharmaceutical ointments for the treatment of burns and abrasions. According to a study carried out in New Zealand, honey, with particular reference to the variety "Manuka", contains a quantity of hydrogen peroxide that would make applications as beneficial as antibiotic and disinfectant on small skin lesions. 3) anti-inflammatory properties Among its numerous features considered beneficial to health, honey also has anti-inflammatory properties that make its application suitable in case of insect bites, with particular reference to mosquito bites. The anti-inflammatory properties of honey allow it to relieve the itching and redness caused by contact of insects with our skin. 4) Content of antioxidants Honey is considered as a functional food rich in polyphenols, natural antioxidants that can help the body in the prevention of many diseases and can slow the aging processes that involve the passing of time. Honey is considered capable of protecting the human body from the action undertaken by free radicals and is also beneficial to heart health. 5) Healing for acne According to some preliminary research, honey may have beneficial properties exploitable for the treatment of inflammatory conditions of the skin caused by acne, with reference to the events that occur on the skin due to infection of the sebaceous follicles of the face, chest and back. The positive effects of honey against acne could be due to the antibacterial properties that scientific research has recently attributed to it. These healing properties would be present in the honey varieties "Manuka" and "Kanuka".

5 WILDFLOWER HONEY: It has a color ranging from white to amber. The market offers honey which doesn t indicate the precise floral origin and which, subjected to analysis, reveals a large amount of different pollens, indicating a marked multi-floral origin. This is the most widespread honey, since most of the beekeepers label their collection with the name millefiori. The wildflower honey is known for its detoxifying properties in favor of the liver, is antiinflammatory for the throat and invigorating. The wildflower honey can be divided into two categories: -The plain wildflower honey, which is early, and therefore rightly called by some beekeepers first fruits. Clear honeys are collected in May-June, with a preponderance of clover, sainfoin, alfalfa, canola, dandelion. They also smell and taste very intensively, therefore more suitable for use in the table that than for therapeutic use. -The mountain wildflower honey, which is the latest, has a dark color, a strong aromatic odor and a pronounced taste. This type of honey is more suitable for therapeutic use, for the treatment of lung diseases, infections and intestinal tract problems. It is no doubt the richest honey, thanks to the greater variety of flora in the mountains. 7- One of the fundamental features that differ heavy metals from pesticides is their presence in the territory. Pesticides are widespread depending on the type of their chemical structure, on the stability and on the affinity with the plant they have been selected for. Heavy metals are continually released from several sources (natural and anthropic). Heavy metals can also be captured from bees in the atmosphere thanks to their body hair, and then they can carry these metals into the hive with the pollen. There are a lot of variables to be taken into account for considering the bees as a bioindicators; for example the weather, the season and the botanic origin of honey.