June 2009         

Bee-Keeping                                                                                        

 

 

 

About Honey Bees

Did you know...

•         Bees have 5 eyes
•         Bees fly about 20 mph
•         Bees are insects, so they have 6 legs
•         Male bees in the hive are called drones
•         Female bees in the hive (except the queen) are called worker bees
•         Losing its stinger will cause a bee to die
•         Bees have been here around 30 million years!
•         Bees carry pollen on their hind legs called a pollen basket or corbicula
•         An average beehive can hold around 50,000 bees
•         Foragers must collect nectar from about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey.
•         The average forager makes about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
•         Average per capita honey consumption in the US is 1.3 pounds.
•         Bees have 2 pairs of wings.
•         The principal form of communication among honey bees is through chemicals called pheromones.
•         Bees are important because they pollinate approximately 130 agricultural crops in the US including fruit, fiber, nut, and vegetable crops. Bee pollination adds approximately 14 billion dollars annually to improved crop yield and quality.

How much do you know about Honey Bees? Take the Honey Bee Quiz (Click on the BEE)

Pictures of Beekeeping  

     

      

Note:

Use sunflower oil or jojoba, refined when you want a lotion bar that absorbs readily into your skin.  Avocado is great for cuticles and for a heavier, more moisturizing bar.

 

 Quick Beeswax Recipes

 

Lip Balm
Ingredients:
     1 tbl.              beeswax
     2 tbls.            coconut oil
     2 capsules    vitamin E
 

 Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
     1 tbl.       beeswax
     1 tbls.     sweet almond or coconut oil
     4 drops   essential oil
 		 Bare Wood Finish
Ingredients:
     1 lb       beeswax
     1 pint    turpentine
     1 pint    boiled linseed oil
Apply with soft cloth, dry, then buff with wool
Wood Furniture Polish
Ingredients:
     1ounce      beeswax
     1 pint        turpentine
     2 cups       water
     1 ounce     soap flakes
 		 Hand Lotion
Ingredients:
     1 part        beeswax
     4 parts      olive oil (add a little coconut oil)

                          		All Purpose Skin Cream
Ingredients:
     3 ounces     beeswax
     2/3 cup        mineral oil or baby oil
     4 ounces      lanolin
     3/4 cup         water
     1 tsp             borax
     few drops of you favorite fragrant oil
 
Antiseptic Balm
Ingredients:
      2 ounces      beeswax
      1 ounce       Jojoba oil
      3 ounces      sweet almond oil
      1 tbl.            wheat-germ oil
      1 tbl.            myrrh essential oil
      1 tbl.            tea tree essential oil
 		 Herbal Salve
Ingredients:
      2 ounces     beeswax
      1 ounce      Jojoba oil
      3 ounces    sweet almond oil
      1/2 ounce   canola oil
      2 tbls.         essential oil of your choice
 		 Moisturizing Cream
Ingredients:
      1ounce       beeswax
      4 ounces    sweet almond oil
      2 ounces    water
      1 tsp           vitamin E oil
      1 tsp           lavender essential oil
 


 

 

Want to build your own bee-hives click on the bee and find out!


 

 

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