Did you know that a group of kittens is called a kindle of kittens?
Bee nectar as health food, antiseptic
Bee nectar as health food, antiseptic The love of humans for honey is depicted in cave
drawings which are more than 20,000 years old. Honey bees also love
their honey. To collect just a single load of honey, a bee may
visit up to 1,100 blossoms of a particular kind of plant. In her
lifetime, a bee will fly about 800 kilometers to produce only 1/2
of a teaspoon of honey. In a typical hive, honey bees need to fly
about 2.5 million kilometers to produce just 1 litre of honey.
Honey bees collect nectar from the flowers of chosen plants and
then pass the nectar to worker bees at the hive. The worker bees
dry the honey and when only 20% of the water remains in it, it is
known as "ripened honey". The honey is then sealed in a wax cell
and left to mature. When mature, the honey can be eaten by the bees
or collected by a beekeeper. Honey has been used since ancient
times as medicine. It was widely used as an ointment for sores,
burns and cuts. Ancient Romans, Egyptians and Chinese warriors used
it as an antiseptic for battle wounds. Modern medicine has
confirmed the ability of honey to help healing and keep wounds
sterile. Honey is also used frequently in cooking as it has about
1/3 of the calories of sugar and is 1 1/2 times sweeter. In most
recipes, honey can be substituted for sugar, using 1/2 of a cup for
1 cup of sugar. Using honey also makes baked goods last longer
because it absorbs and retains moisture. 8 AUGUST 1996
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